WASHINGTON — The mother of a former University of Virginia lacrosse player convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend spoke publicly about the case Wednesday for the first time.
Marta Murphy said her son, George Huguely, should have been convicted of a lesser charge and calls the incident a drunken accident.
“I believed our criminal justice system works and the criminal justice system gets it right, but it doesn’t always get it right,” Murphy said in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show.
Huguely was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Yeardley Love following a 2012 trial in Charlottesville that attracted national attention. Prosecutors said Huguely kicked down the door of Love’s off-campus apartment and beat her after the two had an argument in May 2010. Love was later found dead by one of her roommates.
Both Huguely and Love were lacrosse players and seniors nearing graduation at the university. Huguely is from Chevy Chase; Love was from suburban Baltimore. The pair had an on-and-off relationship.
“He had absolutely no intent to hurt Yeardley,” Murphy said in the interview. “Yeardley was his best friend.”
Instead of the second-degree murder charge, Murphy said her son should have faced the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. She said she did not initially speak out publicly about her feelings out of respect for the Love family.
“Nothing compares to what they’re suffering,” Murphy told “Today,” speaking about Love’s relatives. “I only have sorrow and pain for them. That family is in a kind of hell that you will never know.”
Huguely is serving a 23-year prison sentence on the murder count.
Love’s family is pursuing a $30 million wrongful death civil suit against Huguely. Earlier this month, a Charlottesville Circuit Court judge agreed to push back the start date of the nearly three-week trial.
The trial is scheduled for July 30 to Aug. 17 of next year.
Watch Murphy’s interview below.
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