Contrary to popular belief, domestic violence does not just affect old married couples. It can start as early as high school and get worse as the abuser gets older. Especially if there are extenuating circumstances. For instance, parents who baby their children and allow bad behavior to continue, drinking and drug issues, being abused at home, anger management issues, and a history of controlling behavior and violence. Most of these were present in this case and as you read, you will see how Yeardly could still be with us had the issues her boyfriend had, would have been addressed.
Yeardly was born July 17th, 1987, in Baltimore Maryland. Yeardly attended Notre Dame Prep School and it was there that she fell in love the Lacrosse. You know, the sport with the large stick that you catch the ball with? As you can tell, my knowledge of lacrosse is VERY limited. One thing I do know, Yeardly was exceptional at it and was a superstar. She was awarded All - County Lacrosse player in 2006. After playing varsity field hockey and lacrosse all 4 years of high school, she was accepted into The University of Virginia (here where I live, about 40 minutes away). She majored in Political Science and minored in Spanish. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and what I loved reading about her the most is that she scored her first goal in Lacrosse in her first game against the Cavalier's rivals, Virginia Tech. She started in nine of her sixteen games in 2009 and in three of her fifteen games in 2010. She was a fantastic player.
Yeardly Love and George Hugley V met in their freshman year at UVA and we both part of the UVA Lacrosse team. They began dating but it seemed like their relationship was volatile and very " on again, off again". George had begun drinking at an early age with his father. By the time he met Yeardly, she was a complete alcoholic, often starting his drinking at 9 am in the morning. The more he drank, the worse he was. Verbally abusive, mean, violent. For instance, Lexington, Va., Police Officer Rebecca Moss wound up on the ground, wrestling with Huguely during an arrest in 2008 that ended with a conviction for public intoxication and resisting arrest.
"We did end up on the ground at one point," she said. "I kept telling him stop resisting, he needed to comply with my orders."
Moss said she was forced to use a Taser on the 6 feet 2-inch, 209-pound Huguely after he hurled racial and sexual obscenities at her and threatened her life, telling the officer, "I'll kill you. I'll kill all of y'all. I'm not going to jail." He thought because he came from a rich family, he was untouchable. Huguely had two other run-ins with the law. In September 2007, he was booked for reckless driving after speeding at 70 mph in a 55-mph zone.
Let's stop here and talk about why he should have NEVER been admitted to UVA. Uva "claims" they do background checks on all of their students. If that was the case, he would have never been admitted. It makes me wonder, does UVA lie about these background checks or is the college I have always loved and aspired to go to, able to be paid off?
In 2007, Huguely was charged with underage possession of alcohol in Florida, where his family owns a vacation home. In 2008, he was arrested for public drunkenness and resisting arrest outside the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house at Washington and Lee University. Police tased Huguely to subdue him. In that incident, he received a suspended sentence of sixty days and six months of probation, was fined, and was ordered to perform community service and participate in a drug treatment program. He did not disclose this arrest to UVA, despite a requirement to do so. So, I suppose UVA just takes the word of its students instead of actually checking them out. During the 2010 season, Huguely was a midfielder for the Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team. He majored in anthropology.
The violence got worse and in 2009, a teammate walked Yardley home and somehow George was told that he had tried to kiss her. He attacked this teammate while he was asleep. Yeardly had been attacked by George several times, including once at a bar where she was slammed on a pool table. It's funny how when it comes to domestic violence, people see it, but never want to get involved or take action. As a domestic violence survivor, myself, I can understand why she never told anyone. It was out of fear for how bad things may get., but their friends? Someone should have told. She would still be alive today most likely.
Around 2:15 a.m. 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 call from Love's roommate reported that she suffered an alcohol overdose, but detectives noticed "obvious physical injuries to her body" upon arrival. Yeardly's door had been locked and there was a very obvious hole next to the doorknob where she tried to keep him out or he just broke right in. She had massive blunt force trauma to her head and one of her eyes was almost detached from the socket.
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. He stated that he had not gone over to hurt her, which I believe, but had lost his temper and bashed her head into a wall. Another resident there heard a very loud noise that she stated resembled " a car trunk being slammed shut."
Huguely and Love dated over the course of two years but had broken up. At the Charlottesville police station, Huguely waived his Miranda rights 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". Furthermore, Huguely admitted that he took, and intended to destroy, her Apple 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 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; and an incident in which Huguely attacked Love while drunk but did not recall having hit her. An unnamed student reported that the couple broke up after the drunken Huguely assaulted Love.
A preliminary hearing for Huguely on a first-degree murder 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, robbery of a residence, burglary, entering a house with an intent to commit a felony, and grand larceny.[14] A grand jury indicted Huguely on April 18, 2011, 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, following the Monday Presidents' Day holiday. After deliberating for about nine hours, the jury delivered a verdict of guilty of second-degree murder 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. 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." This can be found online and watched.
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 says, "Kill me." Because of the raw emotions seen in this tape, the jury was convinced that Love's murder was not premeditated.
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. He will be released in 2030.
Yeardly's mom and sister began the One Love Foundation. One- Yeardly's Lacrosse jersey number and Love for her name. This foundation has brought so much good information on unhealthy relationships, warning signs, and they provide guides and materials on what an abusive relationship looks like and the tale-tell signs. Please go to joinonelove.org and share with anyone you know that is in an abusive relationship. Also, check u the myPlan app. Here is more information:
The myPlan app is a free app to help with safety decisions if you, or someone you care about, is experiencing abuse in their intimate relationship. It’s private, secure, personalized, & backed by research. Everyone deserves to be safe in their intimate relationship, and every situation is unique. The myPlan app can help you identify, navigate, and provides resources for a range of relationship abuse concerns. Your intimate partner relationship A friend or family member’s relationship College student relationships LGBTQ relationships Your relationship’s impact on pregnancy or children
Download myPlan for free today
Yeardly never had to die. Uva could have stopped him, his parents could have stopped him, and the people around their relationship could have stopped him. PLEASE do not look the other way if you see any type of relationship abuse happening. STEP UP.
Sources:
Campus Killings Podcast-Yeardly Love
Crime Junkie Podcast- Yeardly Love
Wikipedia
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