The murder of Yeardley Love took place on May 3, 2010, in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Love, a

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

(UVA) women's lacrosse student-athlete, was found unresponsive in her Charlottesville apartment, and later that day, UVA men's lacrosse player George Wesley Huguely V was arrested by Charlottesville police. Huguely was tried and found guilty of Love's murder, receiving a 23-year prison sentence.

Background

Yeardley Love

Yeardley Reynolds Love was born on July 17, 1987, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, to John and Sharon Love. She resided in

Cockeysville, Maryland Cockeysville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,776 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Cockeysville was named after the Cockey family who helped establish the ...

. At Notre Dame Preparatory School, Love was a member of the varsity

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

and

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

teams all four years, and was an All-County lacrosse player in 2006. She was admitted to the

(UVA), where she majored in political science and minored in Spanish. She was also a member of the sorority

Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Alpha Theta (), commonly referred to simply as Theta, is an international Fraternities and sororities, sorority founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established ...

. As a member of the UVA women's lacrosse team, the Cavaliers, Love scored her first goal in her first game, playing against

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

. She started in nine of her sixteen games in 2009, and in three of her fifteen games in 2010.

George Huguely

George Wesley Huguely V was born on September 17, 1987, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to George Wesley Huguely IV and Marta Sanson Lavarraque, who was first married to Andrew Murphy and whom she subsequently divorced. Huguely attended the all-boys

Landon School Landon School is a private, college preparatory school for boys in grades 3–12, with an enrollment of approximately 710 students, in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Background Paul Landon Banfield and his wife, Mary Lee, ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, and resided in

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the colloquial name of an area that includes a town, several incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjoining neighborhood in northwest Washington, D ...

. At Landon, Huguely played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, and was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

lacrosse player. During his senior year at Landon, he was the

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

of the football team. In 2007, Huguely was charged with underage possession of alcohol in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, where his family owns a vacation house. In 2008, he was arrested for public drunkenness and resisting arrest outside the

Phi Kappa Sigma Phi Kappa Sigma (), also known as Phi Kap, Skulls, Skullhouse, or PKS, is an international all-male college secret society and social fraternity. Commonly known as “Skulls”, the name is inspired by the skull and crossbones on the fraternity ...

fraternity house located at

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

. Police tased Huguely to subdue him. In that incident, he received a

suspended sentence A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offence, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that ...

of sixty days and six months of

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...

, was fined, and was ordered to perform

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...

and participate in a drug treatment program. He did not disclose this arrest to UVA, despite a requirement to do so. During the 2010 season, Huguely was a midfielder for the

Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse The Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team represents the University of Virginia in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's lacrosse. The Cavaliers compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and plays home games at ...

team. He majored in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

Love and Huguely's relationship

Love and Huguely met their

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

year, and were often seen hanging out together with their teammates. They had been dating for more than two years by the time of spring 2010, just prior to her murder. It was Huguely's aggressive behavior, triggered by alcohol, that caused their relationship to be on and off. In 2009, Huguely attacked a teammate after hearing that he had kissed Love. Before her murder, Huguely sent threatening text messages and emails to Love.

Murder and initial arrest

Around 2:15 a.m. EDT on May 3, 2010, Charlottesville police were called to Love's apartment on 14th Street in the University Corner district. At the scene, Love was found unresponsive, and was pronounced dead. The

9-1-1 911, sometimes written , is an emergency telephone number for Argentina, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Maldives, Palau, Panama, Iraq, the Philippines, Sint Maarten, the United States, and Uruguay, as well as ...

call from Love's roommate reported that she suffered an alcohol overdose, but detectives noticed "obvious physical injuries to her body" upon arrival. The suspect, George Huguely, was living next door. On May 4, Huguely was charged with murdering Love, and was held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. At a May 6 court appearance, his attorney, Fran Lawrence, stated: “Ms. Love's death was not intended, but an accident with a tragic outcome.” Huguely appeared at the hearing via video. Huguely and Love dated over the course of two years, but had broken up. At the Charlottesville police station, Huguely waived his

Miranda rights In the United States, the ''Miranda'' warning is a type of notification customarily given by police to criminal suspects in police custody (or in a custodial interrogation) advising them of their right to silence and, in effect, protection ...

, and narrated graphic details of his assaulting Love, stating that he kicked open her locked bedroom door, and “shook Love, and her head repeatedly hit the wall.” Huguely admitted that he took, and intended to destroy, her

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

laptop computer when he fled her apartment. Evidence that police seized from Huguely's apartment included two Apple laptop computers, a spiral notebook, two white socks, bathroom and entryway rugs, and a Virginia lacrosse shirt with a red stain. Investigators also followed leads of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

between Huguely and Love, including threatening email and text messages that he sent to her post-breakup; a violent encounter between the couple that was broken up by several visiting lacrosse players from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

; and an incident in which Huguely attacked Love while drunk, whereafter Huguely claimed he did not recall hitting her. An unnamed student reported that the couple broke up after the drunken Huguely assaulted Love.

Legal proceedings

A preliminary hearing for Huguely on a

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

charge was held April 11, 2011, in Charlottesville District Court. Huguely continued to be held without bond at the Charlottesville jail. On January 7, 2012, prosecutors added five additional charges:

felony murder The rule of felony murder is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions that broadens the crime of murder: when someone is killed (regardless of intent to kill) in the commission of a dangerous or enumerated crime (called a felony in so ...

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

of a residence,

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

, entering a house with an intent to commit a felony, and

grand larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...

. On April 18, 2011, a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

indicted Huguely on first-degree and felony murder charges, and a trial date of February 6, 2012, was set. Closing arguments were made on February 18, and jury deliberations began on Tuesday, February 22. After deliberating for about nine hours, the jury delivered a verdict of guilty of

second-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excus ...

and grand larceny. After a further two hours of deliberation, the jury recommended a 26-year sentence: 25 years for second-degree murder, and one year for grand larceny. The jury ruled out the "heat of passion" clause that characterizes

voluntary manslaughter Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human in which the offender acted in the heat of passion, a state that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed to the point that they cannot reasonably control thei ...

. A few of the jurors who spoke to the news media cited the importance of the videotape of Huguely's police interrogation, which was a central part of prosecutor Dave Chapman's case; the jury found that “pretty much every opportunity he had, he lied first. He was not telling the truth on several occasions.” On May 8, 2012, non-jurors for the first time were able to see Huguely in a 64-minute video, in which he was told of Love's death. As he was interrogated by police, Huguely admitted, “I may have grabbed her neck,” and “maybe I shook her a little bit.” He then retells the argument and fight that happened in Love's bedroom, demonstrating how he shook her and kicked her door. Eventually, the detective informs Huguely that Love is dead. Huguely reacts in disbelief, and laments, “Kill me.” Because of the raw emotions seen in this tape, the jury was convinced that Love's murder was not premeditated.

Conviction and sentencing

On August 30, 2012, Huguely was formally sentenced to 23 years in prison by Judge Edward Hogshire, with sentences of 23 years for the second-degree murder conviction, and one year for the grand larceny conviction to run concurrently.

Appeals process

The

Court of Appeals of Virginia The Court of Appeals of Virginia, established January 1, 1985, is an intermediate appellate court of 17 judges that hears appeals from decisions of Virginia's circuit courts and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. The Court sits in pa ...

issued a ruling on April 23, 2013, which granted Huguely an

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which Legal case, cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of cla ...

based on two key issues. The court agreed with the

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

's argument that Huguely's right to counsel was violated when one of his attorneys, Rhonda Quagliana, fell ill and missed a day of trial. The court also granted the appeal based on the failure to exclude "Juror 32," because of possible doubts about that juror's impartiality. The Court of Appeals then heard oral arguments from Huguely's new lawyer, former U.S. Solicitor General

Paul Clement Paul Drew Clement (born June 24, 1966) is an American attorney who served as United States Solicitor General, U.S. Solicitor General from 2005 to 2008 and is known for his advocacy before the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Cou ...

, on December 11, 2013. Clement argued for a new trial, arguing Huguely was denied his right to an attorney when one of his two lawyers fell ill during the trial. Nine days into the trial, Huguely co-counsel Quagliana became visibly ill with stomach flu, but the trial judge refused to grant a continuance, even though Huguely objected; co-counsel Frances Lawrence was asked by the trial judge whether he could proceed without Quagliana, and affirmed he could. In addition to raising questions about "Juror 32," Huguely's appeal team also objected to the trial judge's refusal to allow "

blame the victim Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially at fault for the harm that befell them. There is historical and current prejudice against the victims of domestic violence and sex crimes, such as ...

" questions of jurors, and said the jury was not properly instructed on the definition of " malice," an element in a second-degree murder conviction. The Court of Appeals ruled against Huguely on March 4, 2014, affirming the second-degree murder conviction. In November 2014, the

Virginia Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrativ ...

declined to consider Huguely's appeal. More than four years after Huguely was sent to prison, his mother, Marta Murphy, spoke out. Murphy said that her son should have been convicted of a lesser charge and face less prison time, as the murder was a "drunken accident." Murphy concluded that Huguely had no intent to murder Love, and that Love's death was caused by injuries sustained from falling off the bed. Marta Murphy claimed she waited to speak out in respect for Love's family. Murphy believes that the criminal justice system has proven to be wrong, and did not come to the correct verdict concerning her son.

Huguely in prison

In late September 2012, Huguely was moved from the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail to the Powhatan Reception and Classification Center. On October 15, 2012, he was assigned to Keen Mountain Correctional Center, a high-security state prison in the far southwestern corner of Virginia; Keen is a Level 4 facility in Virginia's six-tier system of rating prison security. A spokesperson for the

Virginia Department of Corrections The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is the government agency responsible for community corrections and operating prisons and correctional facilities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The agency is fully accredited b ...

said Huguely must serve at least a year of his 23-year sentence with no major infractions before the state would consider allowing him to transfer to the Maryland prison system (where he could be closer to his parents' home in Bethesda). In early November 2013, Huguely was transferred from the Keen Mountain Correctional Center to River North Correctional Center in

Independence, Virginia Independence is a town located in, and the county seat of, Grayson County, Virginia, United States. At the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 1,001. It is situated on Virginia's Crooked Road, a heritage trail celebrating the musical her ...

. The River North facility opened in October 2013, and is a Level 4 facility meant for long-term prisoners. , he was being held at the Augusta Correctional Center in Craigsville. Huguely is currently held at the Beaumont Correctional Center, a level 5 facility, which requires no disruptive behavior for at least past 24 months prior to consideration for a transfer to any less secure facility. His release date is June 17, 2030, at which time he will be 42 years old.

Wrongful death civil lawsuits

On April 26, 2012, Sharon Love filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Huguely, asking for $29.45 million in

compensatory damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...

and $1 million in

punitive damages Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and/or to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. ...

. On May 1, 2012, she filed a $29.45 million wrongful death lawsuit against UVA, men's lacrosse head coach

Dom Starsia Dom Starsia (born April 21, 1952) is an American lacrosse coach. He is the former head coach of the University of Virginia men's lacrosse program, with whom he won four NCAA national championships, in 1999, 2003, 2006, and 2011. Previously, he s ...

, associate head coach Marc Van Arsdale, and UVA director of athletics Craig Littlepage, alleging

gross negligence Gross negligence is the "lack of slight diligence or care" or "a conscious, voluntary act or omission in reckless disregard of a legal duty and of the consequences to another party." In some jurisdictions a person injured as a result of gross neg ...

on the part of the coaching staff. The suit alleged: “It was well known to the players and coaches on the UVA men's and women's lacrosse teams that Huguely's alcohol abuse and erratic, aggressive behavior was increasingly getting out of control, especially his obsession with Love, and his aggressiveness and threats to Love.” But despite this, no action was taken “to discipline Huguely, to suspend or remove Huguely from the lacrosse team, to refer Huguely for treatment or counseling for alcohol/substance abuse or anger/aggressive behavior management, or to subsequently report Huguely's potential risk of violence, pursuant to the UVA Policy on Preventing and Addressing Threats or Acts of Violence.” The Love family dropped its suit against UVA and its coaches on July 23, 2013, with no reason given. The wrongful death suit against Huguely was scheduled to go to trial September 29, 2014, but after multiple delays, was pushed back to a trial date of July 30, 2018; ultimately, shortly before the scheduled trial date, the civil suit was dropped (dismissed

without prejudice ''Prejudice'' is a legal term with different meanings, which depend on whether it is used in criminal, civil, or common law. In legal context, ''prejudice'' differs from the more common use of the word and so the term has specific technical mea ...

) by Love's family on June 11, 2018. The Love family refiled its suit against George Huguely in 2018, and a trial began in Charlottesville District Court on April 25, 2022. On May 2, a jury found Huguely liable, and awarded $15 million in compensatory damages, split evenly between Sharon Love and Love's sister, Lexie Love Hodges.

Aftermath

At a May 6, 2010

candlelight vigil A candlelight vigil or candlelit vigil or candlelight service is an assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset in order to pray, show support for a specific cause, or remember the dead, in which case, the event is often called a cand ...

, UVA president John T. Casteen III said: “My hope for Yeardley, and for you, is that her dying inspires an anger, a sense of outrage that engenders determination here; and wherever Yeardley's name is recognized, that no woman, no person in this place, this community, this state, our nation need either fear for her safety or experience violence for any reason.” On May 8, 2010, a

funeral Mass A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect the ...

for Love was held at the

Cathedral of Mary Our Queen The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is a Roman Catholic cathedral located Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It was completed in 1959. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Baltimore. It replaced the Basilica of the National Shrine of t ...

that was attended by around two thousand people. On May 10, 2010, UVA women's lacrosse coach Julie Myers explained the team planned to go forward with its role in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

tournament: “Let's do it the way that Yards would want us to do it.” In their respective tournaments, the men's team advanced to the semifinal, and the women's team advanced to the quarterfinal.

One Love Foundation established

Following her death, UVA retired Love's jersey number 1. Within months of her murder, her family established the One Love Foundation to raise awareness about

, especially relationship violence. In 2014, the One Love Foundation released a film titled ''Escalation'' that has since become required viewing for

student-athlete Student athlete (or student–athlete) is a term used principally in universities in the United States and Canada to describe students enrolled at postsecondary educational institutions, principally colleges and universities, but also at sec ...

s at a number of universities. Since 2016, the One Love Foundation has collaborated with the

National Football League (NFL) The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

References

Notes

External links

Inside Lacrosse article
which includes repository of stories and other links related to the case

Cavalier Daily article

One Love Foundation website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Yeardley 1987 births 2010 deaths 2010 in lacrosse 2010 in Virginia 2010 murders in the United States Deaths by beating in the United States Deaths by person in Virginia May 2010 crimes in the United States Murdered American students People murdered in Virginia Female murder victims Violence against women in Virginia Crime in Charlottesville, Virginia