CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The ex-girlfriend of a former University of Virginia lacrosse player accused in her killing suffered brain injuries consistent with blunt force trauma such as a punch, a physician who examined her brain testified Tuesday,
Dr. Christine E. Fuller, a neuropathologist, testified in the trial of George Huguely V as the prosecution continued to build the medical case that the defendant killed Yeardley Love in one final, violent encounter on May 3, 2010. She described a lesion on the lower portion of Love's brain.
"What kind of lesion is that?" asked prosecutor Dave Chapman.
"I would call that a contusion. That's a fancy word for a bruise," Fuller responded.
Asked what the bruise would signify, Fuller replied, "It means there's been blunt force trauma to the head."
Fuller also described another injury near the base of the brain in the vicinity of the spinal cord that would have been caused by torque — a violent twisting.
That injury, she said, had potentially lethal consequences.
The testimony goes to the heart of the prosecution's case: that Huguely violently attacked Love, banging her head against the wall of her bedroom.
Huguely, 24, of Chevy Chase, Md., is accused of first-degree murder in the death of Love, his on-again, off-again girlfriend and also a former U.Va. lacrosse player. Both were seniors. Love, who was 22, was from suburban Baltimore.
The defense, which has not presented any witnesses, has suggested Love's death was an accident, possibly related to her use of a prescription medicine for attention deficit disorder. Huguely has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges.
During highly technical testimony Tuesday, Fuller testified she found no pre-existing problems with Love's brain. The bruising was found on what she described as the underside of the temporal lobe. She said it was the result of the brain moving within the skull, and compared it to a passenger in a car that comes to an abrupt halt.
Asked by Chapman what her conclusion would have been if she had not been aware of Love's autopsy, Fuller said, "Just looking at the brain, no history, I would have called it trauma. No question."
The testimony is important because of Huguely's claims, outlined in a police interrogation interview hours after Love was found dead, that he had grabbed Love and possibly shaken her but otherwise played down their physical encounter. He claimed she had banged her head against the wall of her apartment bedroom.
On Monday, a medical examiner said his autopsy found evidence of suffocation, though it did not cause death, as well as a potentially deadly neck injury.
Dr. Michael Gormley also described a series of bruises on Love's legs, lower back, left forearm and hand and a small series of bruises on her chest, which he said could be caused by grabbing.
Love's most severe injuries were on the right side of her face. The injuries included a battered right eye, bruising to her neck and under her jaw.
Police officers have testified that Huguely had bruises on his arms and legs and knuckles the morning Love's body was found.
Huguely told a police detective who interviewed him hours after Love's body was found that his bruised knuckles were the result of a lacrosse injury.
The prosecution contends Huguely went to Love's apartment after an alcohol-fueled day of golf. He kicked a gaping hole in the door of her bedroom door when she refused to let him in, prosecutors said.
Witnesses who testified last week described their relationship as fiery and both had accused the other of infidelities.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Huguely could be sentenced to life in prison.
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