The prosecution and defense in the murder trial of former University student George Huguely rested their cases Saturday and presented closing arguments. The jury will begin deliberations Wednesday. Huguely stands charged with the first-degree murder of former University student Yeardley Love.
Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Chapman seemingly conceded Huguely did not intentionally kill Love, but maintained he stole Love's laptop the night of her death. A felony murder conviction would hold Huguely responsible for any death which occurred during the commission of a robbery and find him culpable of first-degree murder regardless of his intent.
"Is it killing in the commission of the robbery or is it [murder in the] second degree?" Chapman asked the jury. "The woman will never be able to tell you what happened to her, but the evidence tells you she was killed in commission of a robbery."
Huguely's attorney, Francis McQ. Lawrence, countered and said a robbery requires intent and argued that on the night of Love's death, "Nothing could be further from [Huguely's] mind than robbery." He similarly dismissed the second-degree charge as needing intent when there clearly was none.
During Chapman's final rebuttal argument, he stressed murder in the second degree does not require intent, to which Lawrence interjected, "He is in error!"
A visibly unnerved Huguely questioned his lawyer as Chapman said, "I resent the misstatement of the law again and again [by counsel]. When somebody else's little girl doesn't wake up in the morning because of
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