A University of Virginia men's lacrosse player from Chevy Chase, Md., was charged Monday with first-degree murder in the death of a women's lacrosse player at the same school.
George Huguely, 22, has been charged in the death of Yeardley Love, 22, of Cockeysville, Md., Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said. Both were seniors.
Longo said Love's roommate called police around 2:15 a.m. concerned that Love may have had an alcohol overdose, but police
found her dead with obvious physical injuries.
"It was quickly apparent to them that this young lady was the victim of something far worse,'' Longo said. "There were obvious physical injuries to her body."
Huguely quickly became the focus, Longo said. He wouldn't say what lead investigators to Huguely or detail the extent of Love's injuries. He said there did not appear to be any weapons.
Love and Huguely were in a relationship at some point, Longo said. Huguely lived nearby, but not in the same apartment complex,
he said. Huguely was being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.
Huguely and Love were scheduled to graduate later this month. Leonard Sandridge, executive vice president of the university, said
the campus was shocked and saddened over Love's death.
"But that shock, disappointment and concern, of course, is magnified by the fact that she was murdered by one of our own," he
told reporters.
Both highly ranked teams are preparing for the national tournament later this month. Virginia's men's team was ranked No. 1
for most of the season and expects to host a first-round game in the tournament after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference
championship last month. The women's team also was expected to get into the tournament.
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Huguely, a midfielder, wasn't a starter but played in all 15 games this season for the Cavaliers, recording four goals and three assists. Huguely attended Landon School in Bethesda, where he was the fifth-leading goal scorer in school history and earned Washington Post first-team All-Met honors as well as first-team all-county honors by the Washington Examiner and The Gazette.
He was quoted in Washington Post story in 2006 during the Duke lacrosse scandal saying he sympathized for the Blue Devils.
"They've been scrutinized so hard and no one knows what has happened yet," he told the Post. "In this country, you're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. I think that's the way it should be."
Huguely's former nanny described him as good-hearted and said she's concerned for his family.
"I'm sure they're devasted right now and just even the allegations," she said. "I don't know nothing about it, and my heart goes out to the family regardless of what turns out to be false or true or whatever."
Love played defense and started in three games this season.
When asked how the death would affect the upcoming tournament, athletics director Craig Littlepage said it was "not even entering
into our thoughts" but that for the players' sake they wanted to "try to get back to some things that are normal."
Love was "a person who was described as an angel by teammates and friends," Littlepage said. In an interview posted on the university's sports website last year, Love described why she decided to attend the school.
"I had wanted to play lacrosse at Virginia since I was little, so coming here was like a dream come true," she said at the time.
Love played varsity lacrosse and field hockey for four years at Notre Dame Prep in Baltimore. Phone calls to the school were directed to communications director Cami Calorassi, who did not return a message left by The Associated Press.
Her coach at Notre Dame Prep, Mary Bartel, did not immediately return an e-mail request for an interview.
University president John Casteen said in a release on the university's website that Love's death "moves us to deep anguish
for the loss of a student of uncommon talent and promise."
"That she appears now to have been murdered by another student compounds this sense of loss by suggesting that Yeardley died
without comfort or consolation from those closest to her," Casteen said.
Casteen said Love did not deserve to die.
"She deserved the bright future she earned growing up, studying here, and developing her talents as a lacrosse player," he said.
"She deserves to be remembered for her human goodness, her capacity for future greatness, and for the terrible way in which
her young life has ended."
Huguely will appear for a bond hearing Tuesday, News4's Julie Carey reported. Autopsy results are weeks away.
