As former University student and lacrosse player George Huguely’s Feb. 6 trial date approaches, the University and Charlottesville communities gathered yesterday evening to discuss the criminal process, which they will witness during his two-week trial.
“It’s very difficult to say that I’m happy or pleased to be here,” Law Prof. Anne Coughlin, who led the discussion, said. “The mood is a somber one. It’s very good for me to be here to talk about these issues.”
Huguely faces murder charges for the May 3, 2010 death of his ex-girlfriend, fourth-year College student Yeardley Love.
Coughlin explained the essentials of a murder trial before discussing Huguely’s specifically.
“I know this is not what you want, but, trust me, it’s what you need,” Coughlin said.
Student Council President Dan Morrison said Coughlin’s lecture enabled students to interpret the information they will receive about the trial.
“Ultimately, the point of this is to make sure that students are conversational about this on a topic that is obviously going to be pervasive in the next couple of weeks,” Morrison said. “[The lecture] gives them the knowledge that they need to decide how they want to engage the trial.”
Huguely’s case, Coughlin said, would likely focus on his state of mind.
“Our system puts a premium on identifying and proving of this culpable mental state,” she said.
Coughlin said it would be wrong, however, to prejudge Huguely’s guilt. She also explained the different types of murder charges brought against him by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
A grand jury indicted Huguely on first-degree murder charges. Proving first-degree murder requires the commonwealth’s lawyers to show that Huguely “deliberately, willfully, premeditatedly and feloniously” killed Love purposefully, or while engaged in an attempt to rob her. A conviction of first-degree murder in Virginia carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
Second-degree murder, which would result in five to 40 years in prison, is committed without premeditation, but with malice and forethought.
“The defendant lacks a purpose to kill, but he did have a purpose to injure her badly,” Coughlin said.
Huguely could face a manslaughter conviction if his lawyers successfully offer evidence that Love provoked him into a passionate display of uncontrollable rage, which students in the audience suggested could be implied by the pair’s romantic history.
“I don’t like to speculate ever about what is likely to happen in a trial,” Coughlin said. “[But] this case is likely to raise very difficult questions about the distinction between murder and manslaughter.”
Huguely could also enter a plea bargain at any time, as more than 95 percent of criminal cases end in a plea bargain, Coughlin said.
The community may hope for a positive resolution to the events, which occurred a little less than two years ago. Coughlin said, however, that real success is never possible in criminal trials.
“The family will have a moment of relief, possibly even euphoria that their loved one has been vindicated, but that passes almost immediately with the realization that this case doesn’t restore, doesn’t bring back loved ones,” she said.
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