Cockeysville native Yeardley Love's ex-boyfriend kicked a hole in her bedroom door near the University of Virginia campus, according to police here, then left the 22-year-old lacrosse player lying dead in a pool of blood on her pillow.
George Huguely, the fellow Virginia student charged with first-degree murder in her death, admitted to police that he had an altercation with her, search-warrant affidavits say, and that he "shook Love and her head repeatedly hit the wall."
But Huguely's defense attorney, Francis Lawrence, said Love's death was "an accident with a tragic outcome." Huguely, a member of the men's lacrosse team from Chevy Chase, said little in a brief court appearance Tuesday, wearing a black-and-white striped prison jumpsuit. A bail review hearing was postponed until June 10.
On a day when reflection mixed with disbelief and shock on the Virginia campus, news also emerged of a 2008 incident in Lexington, Va., in which Huguely was charged with public drunkennes and resisting arrest. After he was seen stumbling drunkenly into traffic during a frat party, Huguely verbally threatened a Lexington police officer in what she recalled as a profanity-laced tirade.
"He used colorful statements such as 'I'll kill all you bitches, yall are a bunch of (expletive)…" Patrolwoman R.L. Moss said in a written statement, adding that Huguely continued to resist arrest and had to be Tasered before Moss could apply handcuffs.
In Charlottesville, a search-warrant affidavit painted a grisly picture of the scene in Love's second-floor apartment when police arrived around 2:30 a.m. Monday. Love, a graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School for girls in Towson, had a large bruise on the right side of her face, her right eye was swollen shut and there were bruises and scrapes on her chin. She was face down.
"Based on this information, probable cause exists that Yeardley Love was murdered," the document said. "Life-saving procedures" were attempted on the young woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation led police to the nearby home of Huguely, 22, a senior lacrosse player who had dated Love. Huguely was taken to police headquarters in Charlottesville, where he waived his Miranda rights and, after being questioned, was charged with killing her.
Huguely told police that his relationsihp with Love had ended. Police found a hole in Love's bedroom door, and an affidavit says he admitted kicking his right foot through the door after entering the apartment through an unlocked front door. Police observed visible bruising on both Huguely's hands and a scratch on his arm – injuries he said were from playing lacrosse.
Huguely said he and Love had communicated by e-mail and that — after the altercation that ended in her death — "he took Love's computer from the residence and disposed of it," the documents say. In his conversation with the police, Huguely told them where he had left the computer and it was recovered, according to the affidavits.
The documents made available Tuesday had sought permission from a court to search both Love's and Huguely's apartments. They also sought permission to take DNA samples from Huguely to compare those with hair and other evidence at the crime scene.
Love was found in her apartment by her roommate, Caitlin Whiteley, and a friend, Philippe Oudshoorn, who called 911. Whiteley told police she initially thought Love had passed out from alcohol poisoning. Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy J. Longo said the cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, and added that no weapon was involved.
In a courtroom packed with reporters Tuesday, Huguely was shown sitting in the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail on a closed-circuit television screen. He appeared nervous, awaiting word from District Court Judge Robert Downer and Lawrence, a Charlottesville defense lawyer retained by the Huguely family.
After a discussion between Lawrence and Downer, a bail review hearing was postponed until June 10. Huguely's parents and stepfather sat in the back of the courtroom.
Afterward, Lawrence declined to answer questions but read from a statement outside the courthouse.
"Until more information becomes available, it is our hope that no conclusion will be drawn or judgment made about George or his case," the defense lawyer said. "However, we are confident that Ms. Love's death was not intended, but an accident with a tragic outcome."
In the meantime, Downer said Huguely was withdrawing from the university. "Grief has descended on this community as we attempt to understand what happened and why," Lawrence said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those who grieve this terrible loss."
Love's death was the second homicide this year in Charlottesville. There were none in 2009.
Huguely comes from a family that has operated a Northwest Washington lumber and building supply business for nearly a century. His great-great grandfather, George W. Huguely Sr., co-founded Galliher & Huguely in 1912. Today the family's fourth generation runs the business, according to the company website.
Before enrolling at Virginia in 2006, Huguely – whose full name is George Wesley Huguely V – attended the prestigious Landon School, a private boys' school in Bethesda where tuition is $28,826.
He was a standout athlete at Landon. He played quarterback on the football team that won a championship his senior year. He excelled on the powerhouse lacrosse team, becoming the fifth-leading goal scorer in school history with 87 and earning All-American accolades.
Among teammates he was known as an easygoing prankster, according to a 2006 story in the Washington Post. He once snagged coach Rob Bordley's car keys during practice, drove to where his coach was and chatted from the driver's seat until Bordley realized what was happening. Huguely called it his "best prank."
"He's always in an upbeat mood," Bordley was quoted as saying. "Nothing really fazes him. I've asked my assistant coaches if they've ever seen him rattled and they said no. He's just unflappable."
This season at Virginia, the 6-foot-2, 209-pound Huguely played a backup role for the 14-1 Cavaliers, scoring 7 points off the bench. The team's website lists his major as anthropology. His parents went through a lengthy divorce beginning in 1997.
The November 2008 incident in Lexington, 70 miles from Charlottesville, began when police received a 911 call from a fraternity house at Washington and Lee College. In her statement, Moss said she first asked Huguely if there was someone sober she could call to pick him up. When he said he was visiting and had no one to call, she said he would be arrested for public drunkenness.
That's when "he started yelling obsenities and making threats to myself" and a female probation officer who was with her. When she tried to handcuff him, "he started to resist and a brief 'tussle' occurred between myself and the male." Eventually she Tasered him, she said, and another police officer arrived to help. "He continued to be combative even after placed inside the cruiser," she said.
Huguely was charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. He pleaded guilty and received probation.
Love's killing has jarred the Virginia campus community. But at a university with 14,000 undergraduates, Love's death was largely overshadowed Tuesday by studies for those who didn't know her.
It was the last day of classes, and an annual end-of-year ice cream social went on as planned in the sunshine before Peabody Hall. Students burrowed into books and laptops at the library, prepping for the finals that start tomorrow. Teaching assistants picnicked in the shade on the college's vast lawn. There were rumblings of a candlelight vigil being planned for the evening, but concrete plans were scarce.
School officials announced Tuesday night that the killing will not alter the schedules of Virginia's men's or women's lacrosse teams, which have both qualified for post-season play.
French teaching assistant Pierre Dairon, 35, said he avoided talking about the homicide in his classes Tuesday. Students were already stressed over finals, he said, and he didn't want to "burden them" with the death.
Love's family has asked for privacy, and the sports community has locked down, turning inward to each other for comfort.
The university recently held a memorial to remember several students who died during the year. One was killed in Haiti's earthquake and another in a bicycle accident. But it was unclear whether anything would be arranged in the wake of Love's death, so close to the summer break.
"It came at a really [difficult] time," said Cecily Greer, a 21-year-old majoring in women's and gender studies. "People are getting ready to go home and take their finals… No one's really talking about it. It's unfortunate."
"There should be something more than just an e-mail" sent by the university administration, said 18-year-old psychology student Mariah Slade. "Something where we all come together."
In Alexandria, Va. Tuesday, the Notre Dame Prep lacrosse team won its final regular-season game, against one of its toughest out-of-conference rivals, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School. The players dedicated the game to Love, wearing Virginia orange bows in their hair and sporting Love's Cavaliers' jersey number, according to coach Mary Bartel.
"They had a piece of black mourning tape around their sticks and they had the No. 1 on their arms or legs somewhere...in eye black," Bartel said. "(At the start of the game,) we prayed as we always do, and then in the first-string huddle, Covie [Stanwick] said, 'Come on you all. This one's for Yeards.'"
Sun reporters Nick Madigan and Katherine Dunn contributed to this story.
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