Days before University of Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love died of a blow to her head, her enraged ex-boyfriend sent her an email stating, "I should have killed you," according to the prosecution's opening statement today in the murder trial.
George Huguely V was furious because he had allegedly learned that Love had slept with someone else, an attorney said.
Huguely, 24, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and five other charges. His trial in Love's 2010 death is expected to last two weeks.
After learning that Love had slept with someone else, Huguely emailed Love, "I should have killed you," prosecutor Warner Chapman said in his opening statement.
"You should've killed me?" Love responded.
"We should talk tonight," Huguely wrote back.
Chapman's opening statements described Love's allegedly slow and painful death. He described Love's injuries as so bad when her body was discovered that the medical examiner had to dissect her brain to discover the cause of death, which was determined to be "blunt force trauma to the head."
Chapman said that Love lay in her bed for two hours dying after being allegedly assaulted by Huguely, who claimed that Love simply had a bloody nose when he left her room. Her nose was not injured, the prosecutor said.
The description brought Love's mother and sister to tears. Lexie Love, Yeardley Love's sister, hunched over and sobbed as her fiance comforted her.
Chapman also claimed that Huguely had been violent with Love before. He said that three months before Love's death, friends saw Huguely put Love in a choke hold and that she was very embarrassed about the incident.
The trial began this morning following the selection a jury of seven men and seven women. In addition to the dozen jurors, another two alternates were selected for the trial which is expected to last two weeks in Charlottesville, Va.
It took the pool of 160 potential jurors to 15 people. During questioning, many said they would not be able to be impartial in the trial.
Supporters of the Love and Huguely families were in court throughout the lengthy jury selection process, presenting contrasting dynamics between the two groups.
The Love family and their friends often wear pink to court, sitting as a united front. The judge prohibited any insignia in the courtroom. Love's mother Sharon Love and sister Lexie are the center of the group. Yeardley Love's former roommate Caitlin Whiteley has also been in court with a group of friends. Whiteley was one of two people that discovered Love's body.
Huguely has shown little emotion, often turning to look at his family and taking notes while potential jurors were questioned. He sat straight in his chair, but the 6-foot-2 athlete's chair was lower than those of his attorneys, making him look smaller.
Huguely's supporters have been dressed in khaki pants, white shirts, navy blazers and colorful ties. His two rows of family members included his mother, her new husband and some young cousins.
The courtroom quiets when Huguely enters and members of the Love family sometimes put their heads down and turn away.
Love, 22, was found dead face-down in a pool of blood in the early hours of May 3, 2010 in her off-campus apartment in Charlottesville. Her face was covered in scrapes and bruises, according to a police warrant, and her right eye was swollen shut.
Love was a star lacrosse player at the school and a senior just weeks away from graduation.
Huguely, also a lacrosse player for the school's nationally ranked team, waived his Miranda Rights in interviews with police after Love was found and confessed that he kicked in the door to Love's bedroom and shook her violently, repeatedly banging her head against the wall, according to police documents.
His attorneys have since claimed that Love's murder was a tragic mistake and that Love's death was caused by an irregular heartbeat caused by Adderall and alcohol , not a beating.
An autopsy performed on Love found that she died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Scott Goodman, a Charlottesville attorney who does not represent any parties involved in the case, said defense attorneys would likely work to prove that there was no malice or premeditation in Huguely's act and that is was a "hot-blooded, heated, passion-type killing" so that they could get the charge dropped down to manslaughter.
"I'm sure they're trying to raise reasonable doubt as to whether there was premeditated murder and whether there was malice," Goodman said.
If convicted of first degree murder, Huguely could be sentenced to life in prison. He could face 40 years if convicted of second degree murder. A manslaughter conviction could lower the sentence to 10 years.
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