Huguely's Lawyers Ask for Retrial—Again
George Huguely's lawyers have filed for a retrial in the case against Huguely, who was convicted last February for killing Yeardly Love.
Photos
The lawyers of George Huguely—the Chevy Chase man convicted of second-degree murder and grand larceny in the 2010 beating death of Cockeysville native Yeardley Love in Charlottesville, VA—are asking a judge to dismiss Huguely's guilty verdict and retry the case.
On Tuesday, June 5, "Huguely's lawyers filed a motion claiming Charlottesville Commonwealth's Attorney David Chapman broke the law by withholding information about Love's mother and sister, who testified in the criminal trial." The defense lawyers "claim Chapman knew the two were planning to file a civil lawsuit against Huguely," NBC Washington reported.
This comes after the defense attorneys' motion—filed on Friday, May 25—that the guilty verdict be set aside due to eight alleged errors they claim were made before and during the trial.
Last February, Huguely, a Chevy Chase native, was convicted of second-degree murder and grand larceny in the 2010 beating death of Love. The jury recommended that he spend 26 years in prison. Circuit Judge Edward Hogshire will determine the final sentence on Aug. 30.
Melody McSweeney
11:22 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
OK, let me get this straight. Huguely ADMITTED he killed Yeardly, the evidence PROVED he murdered this young woman, both families have been torn to shreds BUT our tax dollars, in the amount of hundreds of thousands of dollars, will be used AGAIN to validate same? and we supposedly have the best judicial system in the world? STAND up damnit and let your lawmakers know this is no longer acceptable and we will not stand by and let them rip off the American public any longer!!!!!
MS
8:40 am on Friday, June 8, 2012
Ms. McSweeney's comment above begins with "OK, let me get this straight. Hugely admitted he killed Yardley, . . .". Actually, no, Huguely did NOT admit he killed her. According to media reports, Huguely never admitted that.
He admitted to going to her house drunk to talk with her. She would not open her bedroom door, so drunk Huguely broke through her door and assaulted her but left her alive with what he thought were (minor) injuries such as a bloody nose. He provided some self-serving details on how they struggled. (It appears it involved grabbing, shaking, and shoving rather than punches - still horrible nonetheless.). He claimed he tossed Yardley Love onto her bed with a bloody nose and left, stealing her laptop on his way out. He did not admit killing her.
His lawyers' claim medical evidence shows she died of complications not caused directly by his assault. The jury did not believe that and found Huguely guilty of murder 2.
A retrial due to alleged errors by the court will focus on examination of the medical evidence. Were specific injuries directly linked to her death caused by Huguely during his assault or were they caused by the paramedics in trying to revive Miss Love? Did she die due to complications from certain medications that she was taking? These issues may be critical to a jury's understanding of what occurred and to their verdict. Was it murder 2 or possibly manslaughter?
I grieve for the victim, not for her killer.
Michael Shapiro
10:26 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
And, what would you have the legislators do? Considering the number of innocent people who have been convicted, at the behest of overeager prosecutors or found innocent because new evidence was found, do you want to eliminate appeals?
Fine, let's go back to the 13th century or, better, adopt the Saudi or Iranian models!
Captain Cook
11:44 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012
Ah, I see Shapiro would let a convicted killer walk - eat that cake my man and when done why not call the killers parents and thank them for raising such a good boy! Get a grip.
MS
12:43 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
Please don't forget that the jury did not believe and affirm several of the prosecutor's charges. The prosecutor overcharged, as prosecutors have a penchant to do.
The prosecutor charged murder 1 and the jury which heard the evidence presented in court convicted Huguely of murder 2. There is a difference between a pre-planned murder and murder in the heat of the moment and the penalties are different. The police tapes of their early interrogation of Huguely shows that he did not know Miss Love was dead and that fact established that the murder 1 charge was an overreach.
The defendant has the right to be represented by (competent and prepared) counsel in court. That is an ironclad right, and the judge may have erred in insisting that Huguel's second attorney, who was not so knowledgeable of medical issues and was NOT PREPARED to cross-examine witnesses on medical testimony, do it when the attorney who was much more knowledgeable and prepared was ill and could not be present.
I grieve for Ms. Love, not the man who killed her. But I want him to have a full and rigorous defense. I also want him and his counsel to have access to all pertinent information that the prosecutor possesses at trial.
chsmm1
4:38 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012
why put the families through another trial???..if its true, that he admitted to fighting with the girl and the girl died from those injures... 2nd degree seems the right charge
Karin
4:58 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
MS - you say you grieve for the victim, not the man who killed her. Can't you grieve for both?
MS
5:40 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
Karin, you are right. As I read media reports of the incident and trial, I actually felt very sorry for both the victim and her assailant as well as their families and friends.
This young man destroyed or damaged many lives, including Miss Love's and his own. I do recognize that he was drunk, but he was able to walk, talk, and navigate his way home after the assault and lie to his housemates about where he had been and what he had been doing in the previous hour.
Karin
9:15 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012
MS - I appreciate you recognizing that he destroyed his own life (and probably much of the lives of his loved ones).
In response to your thoughts which seemed to question his drunkeness (although perhaps I am reading you wrong)...having been intimately acquainted with alcoholics, some hard core ones can actually walk, talk, and function seemingly "normal" for hours on end, but then they awake with no memory of any of the time that society saw them as just fine. During these blackouts, their short term memory literally stops working, and they don't understand what they are doing from one moment to the next, but they still seemingly act normal to the outside world. I think it seems this occurred with George in this case, in this scenario. I'm not justifying his actions, but I am seeking to understand them.
I guess I just feel horrible for all involved (George too). I seem to be very much in the minority, though, so perhaps I am wrong. I just have a gut feeling this was one big tragedy. I have a hard time believing this was planned, as he golfed with his dad that very afternoon.
Is alcohol an excuse for murder? No. Do I think George is an inherently bad guy who deserves to rot in the foul US prison system, where is likely to be abused? Also no. Tragedy.