George Huguely Sentenced To 23 Years In Prison For Murder Of Yeardley Love

George Huguely V was sentenced to 23 years in prison today for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Yeardley Love.

Huguely, a 24-year-old former lacrosse player at the University of Virginia, was convicted of second-degree murder on February 22nd.

Before he was sentenced, Huguely had the chance to address the court.

Huguely said:

“To the Loves, I’m sorry for your loss. I hope that you are able to find peace. To my family and friends, thank you for your love and support.”

After his sentencing, the Huguely’s family released a statement:

“Today is a sad day for our family. The past twenty-eight months have been the most difficult in our lives. We love George and will always support him. We continue to believe what Mr. Lawrence said within hours of meeting George, on May 3, 2010, ‘Yeardley’s death was not intended but an accident with a tragic outcome.’ Yeardley will always be in our hearts. We hope and pray that the passage of time will bring some semblance of peace and healing to each and everyone who has been affected by this tragedy most especially the Love family.”

Huguely’s attorney tried to have the lacrosse player’s sentence reduced to 14 years but the judge only shaved three years off of the jury’s recommendation of 26 years in prison.

ABC reports that Huguely was arrested on May 3rd, 2010, shortly after Love’s body was found inside her apartment. Huguely was charged at the time for first-degree murder and grand larceny for stealing a computer from the apartment.

The prosecution argued that Huguely entered the apartment and attacked Love while she was sleeping. The defense said that there was no evidence that Huguely had intended to kill Love.