The Amphitheater was silent for several minutes as candles flickered in the dark. It was as if the faces behind them, of those who had gathered to commemorate the life of Yeardley Love — and reflect on the bonds of community that were broken as a result of her tragic death — had blended against the dark of the setting sun.

The vigil Wednesday night to honor Love was coming to a close. Students, some in tears, rose silently and returned to their dorms and apartments, privately contemplating the words of the speakers, who urged them to remember Love’s contributions to the University and the indignity of her passing.

University President John T. Casteen, III, who spoke first at the event, said the candlelight vigil was “not a forum to examine those charges or the evidence that will eventually make its way to court.” But rather, he said, it was a forum to honor Love’s accomplishments as someone who “excelled at what she undertook to do in life, and … excelled in what she chose to be.”

Love, who was found dead early Monday morning in her 14th Street apartment, “did nothing to deserve to be attacked and beaten, to deserve to suffer the injuries of which we have all read in the police reports, to deserve to die,” Casteen told the thousands of students and community members gathered to remember her.

“For that matter,” he added, “that no woman beaten, thrown against walls, or in any way abused has ever deserved either to suffer or to die.”

Love’s body showed signs of visible physical trauma when police arrived at her apartment just after 2 a.m. According to an affidavit obtained by The Daily Progress, Huguely admitted to shaking Love during a physical altercation, allowing her head to strike a wall multiple times. Police arrested Huguely and charged him with first-degree murder just hours later after the incident. Huguely’s lawyer called the death “an accident with a tragic outcome” and vowed to fight the charges.

“Yeardley’s death is beyond belief,” Fourth Year Trustees President Sarah Elaine Hart told the crowd. “And the actions that led to her death are painfully difficult to think about. But for many of us, there has been little else to think about these days.”

Many students were in attendance Wednesday to commemorate Love, whose sudden death brought shock and grief to the student body. Casteen addressed the crowd first, followed by Hart, then Student Council President Colin Hood. Performances by the Virginia Belles and Virginia Gentlemen opened and closed the vigil, which dozens of media outlets both nationwide and in Charlottesville came to witness.

Reflection regarding the death of Love, Casteen said, should stir up anger among students that one of their peers was unjustly taken from their ranks. And lessons should be learned, he said, from the violence that brought about the injustice.

“My hope for Yeardley, and for you,” he said, “is that her death inspires an anger, a sense of outrage that engenders determination here and wherever Yeardley’s name is recognized that no woman, no person in this place, this community, this state, our nation need either fear for her safety or experience violence for any reason.”

Coping with the scope of the loss, however, and the ways to move forward after the tragedy will be particularly difficult, fourth-year College student Marissa Nadeau said after the event, particularly considering how incomprehensible the crime remains to many students.

“There is so much sadness and confusion as to how such a tragedy could occur,” Nadeau said. “It is so scary to think how similar our life situations were. We were both about to graduate and start new things, but that will no longer happen for Yeardley.”

Hart, too, expressed what the loss of a classmate so soon to graduation meant to the community of fourth-year students. Love will be awarded a posthumous diploma in her honor.

“In a few short weeks we will walk the Lawn together during graduation,” Hart said. “And there is no doubt that there will be a seat at that ceremony that now cannot possibly be filled.”

Finding ways to reconcile such a tragedy will be difficult, Casteen said. But nevertheless, students must stand against this injustice, he said, and through the strengthening of community bonds form a united front against the type of violence and abuse inflicted against Love.

“Tuck away in your soul the knowledge that neither Yeardley Love nor any woman ever attacked has deserved it,” Casteen said, “that no victim in the end has to suffer, has to die, but that together we are the protection, that we must act together to protect one another and to see to it that the things we’ve learned here become and remain true in the world to which we go after this place.

“May God bless Yeardley Love.”

—Allie Vandivier contributed to this article

During a press conference Wednesday evening, University President John T. Casteen, III said he was unaware of the 2008 arrest of former men’s lacrosse player George Huguely, who was charged with first degree murder Monday in relation to the death of Yeardley Love, who played for the women’s team.

Huguely was charged with swearing in public, public intoxication and resisting arrest Nov. 14 in Lexington, Va. and reportedly threatened a police officer’s life. Casteen expressed frustration with the lack of communication between police jurisdictions, adding that neither Charlottesville Police nor the University was ever informed of the incident.

“Strikes me as odd,” Casteen said, “that the law does not require that kind of notification.”

Thursday, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that Casteen and University officials plan to meet with Gov. Bob McDonnell to discuss the possibility of passing a state law that would require police departments to notify universities when a student is arrested.

Dean of Students Allen Groves added that he was first informed of the arrest when he read about it in the media in the days following Love’s death.

“As things surface, as things like this 2008 arrest are brought to light, I find myself saying, ‘I wish we had known that,’” Groves said.

Athletic Director Craig Littlepage explained that University policy requires a student involved in an alcohol incident to undergo counseling. In the case of an athlete, the student would be suspended from team-related activities until he was cleared by the counselor, Littlepage said. Thereafter, the athlete would meet with his coach, who could potentially take further disciplinary action.

Littlepage said neither men’s team coach Dom Starsia nor Huguely’s teammates came forth with any information regarding the 2008 incident. Littlepage did address the potential gap of communication separating players and coaches that has become a nationwide issue.

“Understand the dynamics of a team: The last thing you want to do as a teammate, as a roommate, as a friend is to tell something that might have you fall out of favor with somebody that you’re very close with,” Littlepage said. “There’s a unique element of trust within a team, and we’re struggling with a mechanism by which student-athletes can feel comfortable having either a mechanism or a person who they can go and speak with.”

At a press conference Wednesday evening, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage reaffirmed the decisions of the No. 1 Virginia men’s lacrosse team and No. 4 women’s squad to continue their seasons and play in the NCAA Tournaments, after releasing an initial statement regarding the teams Tuesday evening.

The teams’ futures have been uncertain recently because of a first degree murder charge made against senior midfielder George Huguely for the death of Yeardley Love, who was a senior defender on the women’s team. Huguely scored four goals on the season and played in each of the team’s 15 games but never started. Love played in 15 of the women’s 18 games, starting in three contests.

Littlepage said he met with both teams Monday to discuss their options regarding the remainder of their seasons.

“It became clear over the course of that day that there was a certain amount of their attention that was on the future,” Littlepage said. “And although they didn’t speak about it and ask questions about it, certainly that was in the back of their minds. There was some uncertainty about whether this event would mean the suspension of the season or not. As far as conversation between the student-athletes and coaches, it was very clear to me that it was the desire of both the men’s and women’s lacrosse programs to continue playing.”

But before the teams could resume play, Littlepage added that it was imperative the athletes’ academic obligations were not hindered, particularly given the start of the final exam period.

“We felt very good about the possibility about both teams playing. We wanted to make sure before announcing anything that we had a clear idea of what accommodations would be made for the student-athletes — how they would handle their academic requirements. We are starting exams tomorrow, or Friday, and we wanted to make absolutely sure that any sort of resumption of formal activities — practices, etc. — was not going to in any way deter the academic requirements.”

Perhaps the most important factor, though, was that the teams had the blessing of the Love family, Littlepage said.

“And then the final piece in terms of wanting to make absolutely sure that this was the right thing was the acknowledgment on the part of the Love family that they would be as well firmly behind a decision for the team to play,” he said.

Littlepage was convinced that Love would have endorsed the decision to move forward and compete for a national championship.

“I had been told by our coach, Julie Myers, that Yeardley would have been PO’d with this kind of attention for anything other than this team continuing with its athletic goals and aspirations.”

The men’s team, which won the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2006 with a 10-6 defeat of Maryland April 25, concluded the regular season with an 18-9 victory against Robert Morris Saturday. The Cavaliers boast a 14-1 record and are expected to earn the top overall seed in the tournament.

Meanwhile, the No. 4-ranked women’s team finished the regular season with a 12-4 record but lost during the semifinals of the ACC Tournament to the Terrapins.
The men’s and women’s tournaments are scheduled to begin May 15 and 16, respectively.

Littlepage said that multiple spring teams have expressed a desire to wear a patch or bear some sort of emblem to honor Love as they continue to play their respective sports. The details of the plan, however, have not been finalized.

Men’s coach Dom Starsia, women’s coach Julie Myers and players of both teams could not be reached for comment.

—compiled by Andrew Seidman

Editor’s note: The Cavalier Daily finished its regular production for the academic year last Friday, and therefore no additional print editions of the paper will appear during the final exam period. The editors will continue to follow the Yeardley Love homicide as the story develops, however, and update The Cavalier Daily’s website accordingly.

Fourth-year College student George Huguely — who was charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of fourth-year College student Yeardley Love yesterday — admitted to police officials that “he shook Love and her head repeatedly hit the wall” during an altercation, according to an affidavit for a search warrant.

Huguely, a former member of the men’s lacrosse team, also admitted that he broke into Love’s bedroom by kicking his right foot through the door. He said the front door to the former women’s lacrosse player’s apartment was unlocked, according to the affidavit.

After the altercation, witnesses found Love face-down on her pillow with a pool of blood. She had a “large bruised contusion on the right said of her face which appears to have been caused by a blunt force trauma,” according to other affidavits. Her right eye was swollen shut, and her chin area was bruised and scraped, the affidavits stated.

Nevertheless, in a statement outside the Charlottesville General District Court this morning, Huguely’s lawyers said the death was accidental.

—compiled by Prateek Vasireddy

Editor’s note: The Cavalier Daily finished its regular production for the academic year last Friday, and therefore no additional print editions of the paper will appear during the final exam period. The editors will continue to follow the Yeardley Love homicide as the story develops, however, and update The Cavalier Daily’s website accordingly.

Documents courtesy of the Daily Progress

Charlottesville Police charged fourth-year College student George Huguely with first-degree murder yesterday in connection with the death of fourth-year College student Yeardley Love, who passed away early Monday morning.

Both Huguely and Love, members of the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, respectively, were set to graduate May 23.

Charlottesville police officers were called to apartment 9 in the Camden Courtyard complex on 14th Street at 2:15 a.m. Monday to respond to a case of possible alcohol poisoning. Love was found unresponsive and appeared to have undergone serious physical trauma. Officials attempted to revive her, but those efforts were unsuccessful. Love was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police officials, who have yet to determine the cause of death, declined to discuss the nature of Love’s injuries but are treating the case as a homicide investigation.

“We referred the case to our investigation division, which arrived on the scene earlier this morning, and at that point, our attention was drawn to Mr. Huguely,” Longo said.

Huguely, who graduated from the Landon School in Bethesda, Md., was reported to have dated Love in the past, Longo said, and officials arrested him Monday morning. Longo declined to discuss the evidence that connected Huguely with Love’s murder.

“It’s clear that at some point, they were involved in a relationship, but what the status of that relationship was at the time is not yet clear,” Longo said.

University President John T. Casteen sent an e-mail to students early yesterday afternoon with news of the tragedy. He expressed condolences to friends and family of Love and indignation that the crime appears to have been committed by a University student.

“That she appears now to have been murdered by another student compounds this sense of loss by suggesting Yeardley died without comfort or consolation from those closest to her,” Casteen said. “We mourn her death and feel anger on reading that the investigators believe that another student caused it. Like students who have contacted us in the last few minutes, we have no explanation of what appears now to have happened.”

Love was a resident of Cockeysville, Md., north of Baltimore, and graduated from nearby Notre Dame Preparatory School. She has been a steady contributor to the women’s lacrosse team during the past four seasons and scored during her first career game as a Cavalier against Virginia Tech in 2007. She has played in 15 games this season as a defender.

With the postseason for both men’s and women’s lacrosse teams nearing, athletic department officials said they have not yet considered suspending the teams’ seasons. It was “not even entering our thoughts,” Athletic Director Craig Littlepage told ESPN.com yesterday. Officials were still shocked by the loss of Love, he said, “a person who was described as an angel by teammates and friends.”

The Love family declined to comment at this time.

University officials centered their response to the tragedy on ensuring students received all necessary support. In an interview last week, University spokesperson Carol Wood described the University’s course of action when responding to any kind of death or serious incident involving the University.

“We always start off with a narrower focus, offering assistance to the victim’s family and close friends,” Wood said. “Once we have provided as much support as possible for the individuals most affected, we shift our focus to addressing the greater community.”

Counselors and deans made themselves available for students and athletes affected by the tragedy. Love is the seventh student to have passed away this academic year.

No homicides, however, have been reported in the Charlottesville area since January, when the remains of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington were uncovered at a farm just south of Charlottesville. Harrington disappeared Oct. 17 last year after a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena. No suspects have been located in the case.

Officials identified Huguely as connected with the crime almost immediately and had arrested him just hours after Love was pronounced dead. In incidents involving students who have been charged with a crime, local police usually forward information to the University’s Office of the Dean of Students and the dean can bring up University Judiciary Committee charges against the student. But so long as the student is jailed and not enrolled in classes, he will not face trial with the committee, according to organization bylaws. UJC or Honor Committee proceedings are the only methods by which enrolled students can be dismissed permanently from the University.

Huguely, who was charged in November 2008 with public intoxication and resisting arrest in Rockbridge County, currently is in custody at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail.

Students expressed shock and outrage at the murder as it garnered attention from press outlets across the country, many of which were drawn to the case because Huguely was a member of the University’s top-ranked men’s lacrosse program.

“It’s been especially tough on students because [the news] has hit the mainstream media,” Student Council President Colin Hood said. “I think students are trying to keep a sense of community here and are still in a period of mourning and grief; they are trying to fill the gaps of uncertainty.”

Anyone with information regarding the death of Yeardley Love is encouraged to call Sgt. Mark Brake at (434) 970-3970 or Crime Stoppers at (434) 977-4000.

Editor’s note: The Cavalier Daily finished its regular production for the academic year last Friday, and therefore no additional print editions of the paper will appear during the final exam period. The editors will continue to follow the Yeardley Love homicide as the story develops, however, and update The Cavalier Daily’s website accordingly.