George Huguely V, the former University of Virginia (UVA) lacrosse player, was convicted of murder in the second-degree on Wednesday by jurors, who sentenced Huguely to 26 years in prison. The jury included seven men and five women. The jury came to the conclusion that Huguely did not plan to kill his ex-girlfriend Yeardley Love, the 22-year-old UVA lacrosse player, on May 2, 2010, who was found dead, face down on a pillow in her blood, by her roommate hours later. An intoxicated and angered Huguely went to Love’s apartment, kicked through her bedroom door, shook her violently, wrestled with her, and left her bloodied in her bed.
Members of the prosecution aimed for a first-degree murder charge, while defense attorneys of Huguely sought for a lesser conviction of manslaughter, which would have given Huguely 10 years. The ruling is between the two. The panel also charged Huguely,24, with grand larceny because he stole Love’s computer as he left her apartment. The jury sentenced Huguely to 25 years for murder and one year for grand larceny. The jury’s verdict can be accepted or lowered by Circuit Court Judge Edward L. Hogshire, but not increased. “There’s nothing to make good the terrible tragedy done to the Love family. What we do in court is a rough approximation of justice. We hope they feel some solace,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Warner “Dave” Chapman said following Wednesday’s proceedings.
