A Tape From George Huguely’s February Trial Is Released by the Court

What can we gather from the video of George Huguely V’s interview with Charlottesville detectives hours after he broke into
Yeardley’s Love’s bedroom and fought with his former lover in May of 2010?

The 64-minute tape was shown in court to the judge and jurors during Huguely’s trial in February; reporters viewed it for
the first time Tuesday. The court also displayed photos and e-mails entered into evidence.

In the video, Huguely comes off as a wasted frat
boy–flip flops, shorts, concert T-shirt–according to reports from the
courtroom.
At first he’s rumpled but relaxed, chatty even. He describes a
day and night of drinking the day before. He describes his
relationship with Love in some detail, as if he’s talking to
therapists rather than cops.

Lesson number one: Never talk to police without a
lawyer, especially when cops read you the Miranda rights. Huguely and
Love
were weeks away from graduating from the University of Virginia
back in the spring of 2010. Both were lacrosse players–Love
from Notre Dame Academy in Baltimore County, and Huguely from
Landon School in Bethesda. Both were playing for UVA lacrosse
teams competing for national championships. Police found Love
dead in her off-campus apartment, just up the street from Huguely’s
place, in the early morning hours of May 3.

Early in the interview, before cops told Huguely of her death, Huguely said their relationship had soured, that Love had slept
with another guy, that she had plans to go to New York after graduation, while he was headed for San Francisco.

Lesson number two: Don’t lie.

Without his lawyer present, Huguely said he had walked into Love’s apartment, which was unlocked. Then he admitted he kicked
in the door.

He admitted they scuffled but said he never hit her. Then he said, “I may have grabbed her a little bit by the neck.”

First he said she got on her bed before he left; then he admitted he tossed her on the bed, and that she had been “flopping
like a fish out of water” on the floor. After he had been on top of her.

He first said they were chatting calmly, then he said she was freaked out and said, “Get away from me.”

He first told cops he didn’t take anything from Love’s room. Then he admitted he walked out with her laptop.

The apparent lies were damning enough, but the most painful and revealing truths might have come from the e-mail exchanges
that flashed before reporters on video screens.

According to the
Baltimore Sun,
Love apologized for a
fight with Huguely in late April, but the exchange turned nasty
and she called him the “team joke,” “pathetic,” and a “fat
piece of [expletive].”

Huguely wrote in one e-mail to Love, “I should have killed you” for cheating on him.

In the most telling e-mail, Love wrote that Huguely was “always too drunk to remember” his actions.

When detectives finally told Huguely that Love was dead–about 50 minutes into the interview–he said over and over, “She’s
not dead.”

Perhaps he didn’t remember what he did.

Lesson number three: Stay away from people who drink to the point of becoming violent and don’t remember their actions.

A jury convicted Huguely, 24, of second-degree murder. He faces 26 years behind bars. His sentencing is scheduled for August
30.

Harry Jaffe