Slain University of Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love and former boyfriend George Huguely had a fight days before Love’s slaying, according to newly released court documents.
An unidentified witness told police she saw the former couple fighting at Huguely’s apartment, and Love, 22, hit Huguely with her purse — causing all its contents to fall out. The witness said Love collected her belongings and left Huguely’s apartment, later realized she was missing her phone and camera — according to affidavits requesting search warrants of Love’s and Huguely’s computers.
The witness said Love asker her to return to Huguely’s and retrieve the items. When she returned, the witness said she found Love’s camera, but not her phone.
Police found Love beaten to death in her Charlottesville apartment on May 3 and hours later, charged Huguely, 22, with first-degree murder in her death.
Huguely, of Chevy Chase, admitted he fought with Love the night she died and shook her while her head hit the wall, according to police documents. Huguely also told police he saw blood dripping from Love’s nose before he pushed her onto her bed, stole her computer and left.
He said he tossed Love’s computer in a trash bin on his way home that night.
Days earlier, Love had sent Huguely an e-mail referencing a fight, according to the affidavits. Police extracted fragments of the e-mail from Love’s computer memory, but the Charlottesville Circuit Court redacted the text of the e-mails — including the names of witnesses — in accordance with a sealing order requested by prosecutor Dave Chapman.
Chapman would not say why he requested the sealing order.
The day after Love’s body was found, an unidentified witness said Love told her about an e-mail Huguely sent her, the affidavits stated. The witness said she may have read the e-mail while she was in Chicago. The women’s lacrosse team played Northwestern in Chicago on the weekend of April 30, three days before Love’s death.
Two other witnesses independently told police they knew of e-mail exchanges between the former couple in the days before Love’s death.
Huguely is being held in Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail as he awaits his Oct. 7 trial date. Chapman has not said whether he will pursue capital murder charges.
