Not blunt force: Defense continues theme, as email angers judge

Done today? Are you kidding me? How was this any kind of defense?

Good question, Hook Reader. The defense will appeal automatically unless GH V is completely cleared of all charges. However, the Fran Lawrence implored the jury to find him guilty of involuntary manslaughter in his opening, so such a finding should be acceptable to the defense. I'm not sure if this mistake lends any credence to the appeal or not, but it proves "money can't buy everything."

Rhonda and projectile vomiting,
now I'm in love.

For all the hype this appears to be a non defense effort for Georgie. Looks like his only hope will be the jury.

This is a case that needed no lawyers, either side. Sure he killed her through his intentional acts -- so that puts us at murder or voluntary manslaughter (involuntary could only be if he didn't intend to do that which killed her). From the reports, that doesn't sound like it's really in dispute.

So, we can knock off first degree because of the undisputed level of intoxication, which kills the specific intent for first degree. No lawyering needed but that which is able to present witnesses of drunkenness.

That leaves second degree or voluntary manslaughter, and the evidence will be for the jury -- A) his email (I should have killed you) and lying about his whereabouts and taking and trashing her computer all on the one hand, which suggests second degree murder cause intent to kill, but B) his apparent sincere shock (according to the hook's reports of the tape-recording) at hearing of her death would tend more towards voluntary manslaughter.

Either way, these facts which will decide the case are not dependent on counsel either side, except that they get put into evidence. And sounds like neither side did anything much to alter this outline. So really, up to what type of jury -- second degree or manslaughter.

Rhonda needs to be hauled up on charges and perhaps face disbarment proceedings.

Not involuntayr manslaughter -- VOLUNTARY manslaughter (slightly worse)

Which ever book the choose to throw at Georgie be it 2nd degree or manslaughter it will be the lightest sentence allowed plus credit for time served. The only question left is who will be his next victim.

This is a sad situation for all families involved. GH obviously had a drinking issue and anger issues. Voluntary manslaughter will probably be the appropriate sentence. Unfortunately, there appeared to be no adults around to help any of these young adults deal with serious issues they were facing. The behavior of all involved is out of control. Unfortunately, UVA needs more mentors for these students. There are not enough safeguards and standards for these students. They are just thrown into a scene where partying is a given, and is accepted too readily by the few adults who are involved. These students need more role models. Maybe more volunteer requirements to graduate, so they can experience the real world and keep their lives in perspective.
As a UVA graduate, I felt this was an integral part of my college experience that was missing. Students need more safeguards as they navigate from their teenage years to adulthood. Many of these students come from broken homes, single parent homes, and homes with drinking issues.Unfortunately, this is the world we currently live in, UVA needs to find ways to adjust.

@perspective - So totally agreed!!!

@jimi hendrix, there are those of us who may not have stormed the beaches of Normandy but did other things of equal value. It is all in the way children are raised these days. We have a generation (and more) of these kids who are raised as "entitled" and believe the world should take care of them when a generation prior we knew we had to pull ourselves up from our own boot straps and do what we had to do to make it in the world. After about half of Gen-X and after are just like this if their parents do not raise them better.

I have a child in elementary school and I see about 80% of children have this issue, and their parents are no better.

Not blaming this whole thing on their parents, just it was a start of the fuse here that just kept going through one charge after another.

The maximum sentence for manslaughter in Virginia is 10 years. GH5 has served 2 and 2nd Degree murder is no less than 5 years and no more than 40. Virginia has in law a mandate of 2/3 of a sentence must be served so he will have to serve a total of 6 years and 7 months for manslaughter if given 10 years with 2 years already served he will be out in about 5 years at the age of 29. If given 40 years he will have to serve 36, which he will get out at the age of about 56.

Of course, they may tack on the other charges too which will add a few more years to the sentence.

Perhaps he will use his time to work on his issues, perhaps he will only get worse, time will tell. The thing of this all is Ms. Love no longer has a life to live, he does.

Anyone that thinks Rhonda is hot has been living in Charlottesville too long. Kudos to the judge for getting this trial done in 2 weeks. Time will tell if the jury deserves similar kudos.

Did I miss something. You all are commenting as if this has gone to the jury. This would not be the end. There could be rebuttal and then closing statements are needed.

Katherine, why are you saying adults failed them? Save for the small detail of the murder, George was a smart, polite, driven, over acheiving young man. Certainly those attributes were encouraged by adults somewhere along the way! Hate to say it but there are a lot of 22 year old MEN and WOMEN out in the world who had no where near the parent involvement these 2 so called "kids" had in their lives and are held far more accountabe for their actions. I am sorry to have to say Yeadley was responsible for her drinking but she was. In no way am I implying she had any culpability in her death.

Yeardley Love's Daddy should have run the THING down and killed him long ago. If he dosen't care, why should anybody else? Just cut Hugeley's balls off and forget about it. You'll never heard another peep out of him if you do that NOW.

Percy, Yeardly Love's father died of cancer while she was in high school.

PARENTS , SAFEGUARDS AND MENTORS? I guess we should send parents off to war with their kids? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHERE ARE THE PARENTS WHEN KIDS ARE BEING BLOWN TO BITS IN WAR? Lets just pretend George is a poor black kid and Yeardly a redneck and then who will be blame??? We will blame George the poor black kid and his redneck girlfriend. GET OVER THE BLAMING OF OTHERS and send George to prison. ENOUGH SAID.
There is no pandora's box. That is white america speak for ONE OF OUR OWN IMMATURE KIDS got in trouble.

@ jimi hendrix "Ironic how many of todays "young adults" needing apparent supervision are the same age as many who stormed the beaches of Normandy."

While I don't disagree with your observation about today's immature adults, I do disagree that your observation qualifies as being "ironic." Irony is when the outcome of something winds up being completely opposite of what was intended. Immature adults in the post-2000s world is not an unintended consequence of the Normandy invasion. The two have nothing to do with each other, and therefore no ironic connection.

Ok. First of all plenty of kids drink. I'm not saying that this is a good thing, but it is true. How many of these kids bash their girlfriend's head in? ONE and his name is George hugely? Yeardley was a sweet,innocent little girl and George (or Alina should we call him Georgie- what the heck Alina? Really? You should be ashamed!) intentionally killed her? Out and out bashed her to death and left her to die alone - yes Alina - ALONE! SO SPARE US YOUR ACT!!! YOU HAVE DAUGhTeRS! sOPHiA IS oNE in your little video? He held her hand? WE should have the audio of that right? SHe had too much class to make a scene in front of his Family?
So! Disbar the attorney ! Lock George in the general population until he is no more! The entire Sanson hugely Murphy family is pathetic! Not bad enough your little Georgie killed her - not just killed her_ brutally willfully beat her over and over again and u have the Nerve to call him georgey! NO Alina not bad enough they lost their angel you and your family make her mom and sister relive every horrible HOrRIble moment. You will answer to God one day. George admitted he killed her. How do you sleep at night? You r sick- the whole lot of u!

Whatever George Huguely gets convicted for (second degree murder seems most likely from what unfolded at trial), it won't be the result of his legal defense. The entire 3 ring circus resulted from Mr. Huguely's serious homicidal misconduct. Family dysfunction and failed intervention were secondary contributing factors but experienced criminal defense attorneys see their clients in these situations almost every day. These antecedents are no more than unsurprising explanations for every kind of criminal activity but these are never legal or moral excuses for misbehavior. It's rare that all of these predictive factors coalesce into such a dangerous mix that homicide is the result. This killing was far from inevitable because of what led up to it. It occurred because George Huguely lost control of himself.

Case outcomes, whether more harsh or lenient than expected, are influenced by a defendant's original bad behavior more than any reason including the work of capable and experienced attorneys. The next time any attorney perfectly defends a case will be the first time this has occurred in history anywhere. No doubt, Rhonda Quagliana was seriously ill. Outsiders can't fathom the strain of almost 2 years of steady work culminating in what was likely work days exceeding 12 hours for 6 or 7 days each week during the month before the trial. The prosecution worked equally hard to get ready. During the trial itself, opposing attorneys work on a case for 14, 15 or maybe 16 hours each day with almost every waking moment, when not in the midst of trial, spent getting ready for the next day of trial. The unavoidable fatigue of such a grueling responsibility almost always leads to mistakes. I have no doubt, as Fran Lawrence stated, that Rhonda Quagliana's lapse was unintentional.

Fran Lawrence has been in such combat before. We handled a trial side by side for co-defendants that lasted more than 3 weeks a number of years ago in Federal Court. I respect the quality work of a great number of excellent attorneys I know, but I never worked on a single case in Court with anyone longer than in that jury trial with Mr. Lawrence. My first hand personal experience with him back then left me the highest level of respect that anyone can have for a professional colleague.

Dave Chapman deserves credit too for his obvious preparation and focus to overcome difficulties with his case from beginning to end.

As attorney John Davidson effectively wrote in another thread, nobody likes a criminal defense attorney until you actually need one.

If there is a manslaughter or lenient sentencing verdict, it won't be because Dave Chapman did something wrong. Likewise, a murder conviction and harsh sentence won't be mainly caused by questionable work of defense counsel. The outcome of this case will result more from the jury's judgment about George Huguely's culpability than anything else.

@ Weston: You said I think colleges should have more rigorous standards regarding a code of ethics and civil behavior.

Agree. But the dilemma is - who is the watchdog to make sure they do? UVA boasts that they have a strict Honor Code, but for the past few years the kids have debated what "Honor" means. They don't know, can't cpme to an agreement on the definition, and the Administration has never stepped up to the plate to impose an opinion or a bottom line for fear of not receiving donor dollars.

I agree that it will be a long several days before this is all settled. Even then, it is likely, depending on what the jury returns, that there will be an appeal. Let's all remember the victims in this case, there are many. Perhaps a quiet moment of silence or a brief prayer to the God of your understanding would be most helpful to the Love family.

It is very disturbing to see a member of the bar who by his own admission has a relationship with FMcQL defending him and heaping praise on him. Such obvious self interest is a bit like the College of Cardinals saying the Pope is a good guy! Lawyers always cover for each other in public and stab each other in the back in private. In my opinion, if RQ and FMcQL have a sintilla of integrity they will provide the Charlottesville working press a certified copy of a doctor's note proving RQ's illness. A copy of the note should be published in the Daily Progress, The Hook and C-Ville. Until then, it is clear that something isn't quite right with the Park Street folks. There are tons of lawyer jokes; the real problem is that most lawyers are jokes.

Attacks on RQ's looks are boorish and childish. Let's stick to the matters at hand. Also, what GH5's aunt calls him isn't fair game for verbal attack. I have three III's after my last name and my family calls me Trey. My grandfather was always referred to by his first name and my father by his second name. My son who is the IV is called by his middle name. I hope you get my point.

We need to look forward and not back. We need to find solutions to the problems of excessive drinking at UVA. We need to make it clear that a person who is a student and convicted of a felony is asked to leave UVA. If the University refuses to do this, it would take little effort to to have a member of the Virginia legislature propose a bill to this effect. We need to lay down the law about abuse of any partner. Partner abuse is bullying fueled by alcohol and uncontrolled anger. We need to have an independent and outside person and commission to investigate the culture of the athletic program at UVA and determine what rules and safeguards need to be put in place to insure that this type of behavior will not happen again. UVA is not a private institution. It is a state institution and as such needs to pay much more attention to violations of the law. Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, cleaned up New York by enforcing all laws. You start with petty crime and suddenly serious crime is on the decline. Drive around the Frat/Sorority row on any weekend evening and check out the underage drinking. Student Affairs at UVA from the top down needs to stop working 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. Check with the leadership of any independent school in the area and find out how many times they have had to send someone to the UVA Hospital Emergency Room to deal with a student from their school who was allowed and encouraged to drink excessively at a UVA party. Too many young folks have died from excessive alcohol consumption.

Well, it's time to get back to watching CNN. Some of the best comedy on TV!

"Anonymous" Professor:

You are promoting your Fox News agenda without any perspective or much actual experience with college crimes. Lawyer bashing is easy for someone who probably never needed to depend on one in a crisis.

UVA Grounds is nothing like Times Square which was once mainly inhabited by prostitutes, drug addicts, petty thieves and worse. My experience with UVA students, with a few more serious exceptions, mostly involves alcohol status (underage possession) or alcohol abuse offenses, marijuana possession, drunk urinating off balconies (an actual recently charged assault), trespass and other misdemeanors. It is difficult enough to deal with parents for those few underveloped pre-frontal cortex students unlucky enough to be caught. There would be a parental revolt if the police were charged with pursuing an unrealistic and unenforceable zero tolerance policy for immature college students who almost always overcome their mainly predictable mistakes.

The University more than adequately disciplines its students when misconduct is brought to the administration's attention. This is reputedly the first homicide of one student by another in the entire history of the institution. That is a major reason that it is so newsworthy. UVA appropriately started a requirement that any student arrested for any reason must report this to UVA within 72 hours. Failure to do so is an Honor violation that will result in expulsion. If this policy had been in place when Huguely was arrested and convicted in Lexington for obnoxiously resisting arrest by a police officer there, the killing of Yeardley Love might never have happened. No attorneys are needed in UVA's internal disciplinary process.

The last thing we need is more laws to enforce morality because, ironically, more crimes or regulations (which most who claim to be conservative aren't in favor of) just requires people who prefer not to meet someone like me (which includes most everyone including you) to swallow your pride and ask for help. More laws will only result in more lawyers for you to complain about.

To the "Lawyer" Heilberg,

My initial response to your rambling rant would normally have been to tell you that some fool wrote a rant and signed your name. I question whether you are who you say you are. I've never heard of you. I have had a home in the area since 1972 and have never needed a criminal lawyer. If I did, I would engage one from a firm in DC. I attended Georgetown University Law School for a year after distinguished service in the Air Force. I have dozens of law school classmates who practice with major firms in DC. I left law school to finish a doctorate; I didn't like the cutthroat environment at law school. Just for the record, I have taught at UVA, Georgetown, Harvard, Dartmouth and Stanford. I have worked as counsel to Governors, Senators, Congressman, Mayors and many, many other leaders in this country and abroad. I am a sought after political consultant. I have, as may know, a constitutional right to express an opinion. Several of your ranting responses indicate that you did not read my post very carefully.

I know exactly what Mayor Giuliani did in New York. I was there. I know little about the 42nd Street area as I spent little time in that part of town except to attend Broadway plays. If I was in that part of town, I was in a hired vehicle and dropped off, picked up and driven back to my east side apartment and/or office. You seem to have first hand knowledge of the area.

The issue isn't the magnitude of the crime, but rather the idea that the University enforce existing local, state and federal laws. There are dozens of places around the country where cities, counties and other governmental jurisdictions have moved to strict enforcement of all laws. There was, in all cases of which I am aware. a drop in more serious crime. Your citation of petty offences calls into question your attitude which sounds as if you are defending the University and willing to gloss over behavior of the genre that led to this horrible incident. I am not suggesting the police in Cville enforce any of these laws. I am suggesting that those charged with Student Affairs from the President down need to be aware and engaged in controlling and managing these behaviors.

Ad hominum attacks are unattractive under the best of circumstances. Your last paragraph is offensive. Please don't pander about the morality of people whom you have never met. At no time in my post did I suggest any new laws. For the record, my televisions don't work on the Fox channel. I have tried to protect the people I love and my children and grandchildren from right wing fanatics. I watch CNN and am a card carrying liberal democrat and, clearly, not a conservative. Throwing labels at people is the coin of the realm for criminal defense lawyers. Please don't make that mistake with me again. I resent your characterizations. I have served this country as a military officer, a diplomat, an ambassador and as senior staff in several administrations.

I have read all your posts on The Hook articles and feel that you have overstepped ethical bounds by what you have said. Putting lipstick on a pig doesn't change the fact that it is still a pig. Heaven forbid that a juror in this case read what you have written.

Long story short, I have wasted enough time in attempting to acquaint you with the facts of my post. If you wish to argue matters of fact, please only respond to what is written. Attempting to impeach the creditably of others is not appropriate. Stick to the facts! Truth among officers and gentlemen is not relative or situational. I used to think that was a credo of the legal profession. Gosh, another disappointment. Well, back to CNN. Happy Presidents Day!

Cheers!!!!

The premise that students are automatically going to admit to wrong doing when given a choice is at best naive. Of course UVA faculty knows this, thats why the choice is given to begin with. You want to put integrity up for grabs? What are you teaching? Of course the idea of integrity was recently just thrown out the window with the graduation of what else? a law student.

To Professor

Thank you for speaking the truth. UVa has erected a PR shield masquerading as a drug and alcohol policy. Also a convenient liability shield. So many lessons should be emerging from this trial instead of just the demonization of GH.

Just a few observations since the conversation, unfortunately predictably for "The Hook" has deteriorated into bashing what some of you feel is the local Evil Empire. (Although for the life of me it's hard to imagine why you stay in the area when you feel that the malign influence of UVA permeates the place)
Pam - students have always debated what "honor" means at UVA. Forty plus years ago when I was earning my degree the students decided that lying about one's age in order to buy alcohol was not reprehensible enough to be considered an honor violation. I'm not saying that that was a good or bad devision, it's just an example that I happen to recall of the debate that has gone on since the honor code was established. It's not a new thing.
There have been several posts regarding felons at UVA. If someone commits a felony while attending UVA, expelling them from the school shouldn't be a problem, since they're likely to be in jail. If you're arguing to exclude felons from even entering UVA, I'd ask where you expect them to be educated? When a person commits a felony and serves his/her sentence, they don't forfeit the opportunity to be educated at any partuclar state institution.
Last, just my own personal peeve, but it's a waste of time for you to list your many accomplishments on a message board. We have no way of knowing whether you're really an ex professor or just an unemployed 20 something with time on your hands. And even if you did teach at Stanford, etc. it really doesn't add any weight to your message. Let the logic of your opinions speak for themselves.

Just a short response to Susan, The most recent graduation of a UVA law student( can't recall his name) who clearly violated both civil and any hypothetical student conduct rules put forth by UVA, clearly demonstrates a false notion that faculty is in any way concerned about integrity on the part of students. The proof is in the pudding and UVA's pudding is sour at best.

With all respect, the new policy is an administrative response to a felony crime. I don't know of any other crimes that are handled purely by administrative means. When a felony occurs on a college campus, there are certain protocols that should take place. A proper investigation must occur and nowhere is that mandated int he school sexual assault policy.

When I was arguing for Kathryn's Law in Richmond last year, I received several emails from young women who were dissuaded from reporting their crimes. My opinions have been well documented over the years, and I am fairly one-sided about this topic. But unless you were to hear all the details of how a sexual assault is handled, I can see how you can be snookered by such policy. The fact is that when a young woman reports that she has been stalked, abused, and god forbid, raped, no one at the school conducts a thorough, legal investigation. We will never know how effective the new policy is because the school uses FERPA as a shield. However, we do know through the VA Crime Commission hearings last summer that not one single forcible assault committed by student-on-student in the past year, at any Virginia college, resulted in an arrest. The proof of the college attitudes are in the statistics.

Ms. Russell:

Your statement that there is no provision for investigation is inaccurate. The entire policy is long and detailed, so I assume you missed it. Paragraph IV.C. on page 10 of the policy describes a detailed investigative procedure and specifies who must conduct it. If any student formally asks for such an investigation, it must be pursued. How to coordinate University proceedings with contemporaneous criminal investigations by the police is carefully contemplated in Paragraph II.E. This procedure hasn't even existed for 6 months yet, so it's too soon to say that UVA isn't sincere about this. It isn't fair, as Perspective opines, to assume that this procedure is only some kind of cosmetic image burnishing symbolic gesture before meaningful results are achieved. My fledgling experience with this endeavor so far doesn't support this assertion. They put a lot of thought and effort into devising this remedy. People will simply need to give this process a chance before assuming it can't work.

And, I should add, as of last Summer, not only is it expected that schools act on allegations of student on student sexual abuse, US DOE has mandated that not only must the schools act, they must institute procedures weighted totally in favor of the complainant, or risk Federal funding.

Ms. Russell:

I am not assuming that University authorities will act to pursue their policy. My single experience with their procedure so far confirmed that they are taking these changes seriously.

What happened to your daughter was tragic and it sounds like mistakes were made before outside forces compelled better accountability by University officials. All you can ask of people and their institutions is that they learn from the error of their ways and to act accordingly. While this new approach is brand new, I see encouraging signs that this involves real change.

Even with better procedures in place, student victims of sexual abuse, assault, stalking, harrassment and intimidation must still want to get help and listen to those who they love and trust when they advise to take action.

There is no doubt that your daughter and Yeardley Love were traumatized and confused. Your daughter cannot retrieve what she lost during her unfortunate experience any more than Yeardley Love's family can get her back. Your crusade is important in terms of holding officials and politicians accountable to act on their promises.

However, I see the University as initiating a thoughtfully legitimate attempt to reform their procedures. Those who love victims of assault and abuse by their fellow students (particularly young adults in unhealthy relationships), need to support such victims and encourage them to follow through with pursuing already available (and hopefully improved) remedies. These victims usually experience confusion and doubt that their supporters must persistently but sensitively encourage them to overcome.

Well Susan, after all those rhetorical responses that add up to zip it is no wonder why women should still very careful as to they even say hi to. I work with quite a number of women who's lives have been completely shattered by male abuse, I have no, that means no, patience for people who take a half hearted view towards a culture that breeds and almost defends male aggression towards women. There are no excuses for half hearted attempts to fix a system that in reality condones this kind of behavior. Mr Heilberg has no clue the lives decimated by male abuse, apparently even when a death occurs. Still the obtuse rationale behind institutional changes that amount to nothing.
The general public has no inkling the complete destruction to a woman's life at the hands of an irrational man. The women know but fear retaliation or even worse, dismissal,should they vent their frustrations on the subject. Whats the answer? Thousands more law suits? Mr Heilberg would love that. But until we have a cultural shift towards women's rights there's a long road to hoe, unfortunately with a lot of women yet to be victimized. Eve was the original sin, and women are still paying for that, maybe when this trial is over, the females at UVA should occupy Sullivans office for real change.