Tough morning: Photos bring tears at Huguely trial

Jurors responded stoically as they got their first painful glimpse of a deceased Yeardley Love on Thursday morning, as the prosecution in the trial of accused murderer George W. Huguely V launched a second day of testimony with graphic photographs amid the testimony of a doctor, two police officers, and a pair of emergency medical technicians.

"I happen to remember this photograph being taken," testified EMT Michael Hanshew. "The hands on the side of her head are mine."

He was looking at "P2," an image of emergency responders vainly attempting to revive Love on the floor of her bedroom in her 14th Street apartment. Moments earlier, defense attorney Fran Lawrence had voiced his objection to the introduction of the photograph by prosecutor Dave Chapman.

"We've already heard your objection," said an irritated Chapman, who won the right at a pre-trial hearing to show the raw images to the seven men and seven women who currently constitute the jury.

After the judge allowed the photograph to appear, the jurors betrayed little emotion as the image flashed up on a wide flat-screen monitor, although one juror suddenly seemed to take a few extra notes on a pad of paper. In the Love family's section, weeping could be heard. A few feet away, defendant George Huguely pressed his chin to his shirt, looked at his lawyers, but otherwise gave little indication that he might be seeing the fatal results of his interaction with Love on May 3, 2010.

While medical witnesses took the stand, the prosecutor went on to introduce P3, an image of resuscitation equipment on Love's bed, P4, an image of blood on the floor, and– worst of all– P5 and P78, what may have been close-ups of Love's body after the EMTs got permission from UVA's medical command to discontinue their efforts.

The photographs– seen only by judge, jury, lawyers, and court personnel– remained out of view of the families, media, and other spectators, though the whitish glow from the large-screen monitor added discomfort to the proceedings.

Charlottesville Police Officer K.W. Blackwell was the day's first witness, and he told the court how he was in his cruiser at the Ivy Square Shopping Center when he got a call about a possible alcohol overdose on 14th Street.

Instead, he arrived at the apartment to find a hole in the center of the bedroom door and a young woman wearing only panties. He knelt down to listen for breathing and saw dried blood on Love's face, an abrasion under her chin, and an eye swollen shut. Blackwell said he noticed something else about her body.

"She was a little cool," said Blackwell. "Around room temperature."

Later, during the testimony of Charlottesville Police Detective Shawn Bayles, the man who took the photographs, defense attorney Fran Lawrence blasted the reappearance of the pictures as "redundant and unnecessary." He was overruled.

Bayles revealed how he was driving over to the apartment to oversee the situation when he received word on his radio that the initial report of an alcohol overdose was mistaken. Seeing the smashed door helped convince him that he needed to warn the EMTs.

"I told them to continue what they were doing, but I wanted them to be aware they were in an active crime scene."

Shortly after saying that, Bayles revealed, an EMT remarked the bathroom's toilet seat was in a raised position. Before that remark could be analyzed, another debate broke out over introducing photographs before the judge decided to break for lunch recess.

Other witnesses who testified Thursday morning included a female EMT and William J. Brady. A doctor who chairs the UVA medical center's rapid-response team and its resuscitation committee, Brady testified that he was the person who gave the EMTs permission to discontinue their life-saving efforts.