A Virginia Court of Appeals affirmed today the second-degree murder conviction of former University student and varsity lacrosse player George Huguely. In 2012, Huguely was found guilty in the 2010 murder of fellow University student Yeardley Love.
Huguely was sentenced to 23 years in prison in Aug. 2012, but appealed on the grounds of his Sixth Amendment rights, claiming he was denied right to counsel when one of his trial lawyers fell ill and he was denied a right to a fair trial through improper jury screening.
In a 34-page decision, Judge Randolph Beales rejected the arguments made by Huguely and his defense.
“Neither Gonzalez-Lopez nor any other decision Huguely relies upon actually supports Huguely’s claim that the trial judge committed Sixth Amendment error here,” he said in the decision. “Those cases have significant factual differences from this case.”
Huguely will seek further legal options in an attempt to reverse the conviction, according to a statement from his mother, Marta Murphy.
“We continue in our love and support for George, and our lawyers are evaluating all options to get him a fair trial,” she said.
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