Former University lacrosse player George W. Huguely V, who was convicted in 2012 of killing his ex-girlfriend Yeardley Love, also a former University lacrosse player, appealed his second-degree murder conviction to the Virginia Supreme Court Monday, according to NBC 29. Huguely was denied a rehearing of his appeal Saturday after a Virginia Court of Appeals affirmed his conviction in early March.
Huguely is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence for the murder.
Huguely’s attorneys claimed the evidence in the case didn’t support a second-degree murder conviction. They identified a series of what they found to be constitutional and procedural errors.
One claim was that Huguely was denied his right to counsel when one of his attorneys, Rhonda Quagliana, fell ill during the trial and the judge agreed to proceed despite Huguely’s objections.
Huguely’s attorneys’ were also concerned about the impartiality of the jury. Juror 32 indicated on a questionnaire that she may have been influenced by media reports and other conversations.
Judge Randolph Beales rejected the arguments made by Huguely and his defense.