Jurors in the trial of accused murderer George Huguely V began the second week of the trial today by reading private correspondence between Huguely and his ex-girlfriend Yeardley Love.
The jurors were presented a stack of papers that contained copies of a letter from Huguely to Love that was found in her desk drawer and the now famous email exchange in which Huguely wrote, "I should have killed you."
The correspondence was not read aloud in court, so the content of the communication was not revealed to spectators in the courtroom or to the press.
Media requests to make the evidence public were denied by the judge.
Huguely, 24, is charged with first degree murder as well as five other charges in the death of Love.
Love, 22, was a star lacrosse player at the school and a senior just weeks away from graduation. Huguely was also a lacrosse player for the school's nationally ranked team.
As of this morning, the prosecution has interrogated more than 30 witnesses in a trial that is expected to last at least through this week.
The first half of the day has been spent on testimonies from detectives and police officers, with a focus on the forensic examination of the crime scene.
Jurors looked at digital images from the crime scene with explanations of the photos from the detective that took them.
The second detective to take the stand, Det. Jeremy Carper, explained how he collected DNA from underneath Huguely's fingernails and confiscated his clothing, including brown flip-flops and dark Nike shorts. Carper also went through photos that showed cuts and scrapes on Huguely's arms, wrists and hands.
The prosecution has alleged that the injuries are from his brawl with Love and the defense has said they were from a lacrosse game.
Follow ABC News' Cleopatra Andreadis on Twitter for the latest on the trial.
Today's proceedings have been tame compared to last week's emotionally charged testimony from family and friends of both Love and Huguely as well as the tape of Huguely's statements to police made hours after Love's lifeless body was discovered.
Huguely doubled over, put his hands over his face and cried in court on Friday as he watched a videotape of himself being grilled by police and being told that Love was dead.
"I have to tell you something," Det. Lisa Reeves tells Huguely after he had answered questions about the night's events. "She's dead. You killed her."
"She's dead? How is she dead?" Huguely asked repeatedly. "Please, please tell me she is not dead."
"George, I wish I could, but I can't do that. She's 22 year old and the life's gone out of her," Reeves said.
A panic-stricken Huguely then repeats over and over that he doesn't believe Love is dead, that he wants to see her and that he didn't murder her.
Prosecutors allege that an enraged Huguely allegedly kicked through the door of Love's bedroom the night she died and shook her, banging her head against the wall, before leaving her bleeding. A bloody Love was later found face-down on her bed by a roommate. Her face was covered in scrapes and bruises, according to a police warrant, and her right eye was swollen shut.
The defense has suggested that Love's death may have been caused by a fatal combination of Adderall and alcohol that could have stopped her heart and that jurors should consider Huguely's role in her death as involuntary manslaughter at the most.
Also Read
There are no comments yet