RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A former University of Virginia student who was convicted of killing his former girlfriend has filed another appeal.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that George Wesley Huguely V filed a civil challenge in federal court on Wednesday. Previous state and federal appeals have failed.
Huguely is now 32 and serving a 23-year sentence for the second-degree murder of Yeardley Love in 2010. She was a 22-year-old UVA lacrosse player who was found dead in her apartment.
Huguely has claimed that the two briefly struggled on the floor of her bedroom following a day of drinking heavily. But his lawyers have maintained that Huguely’s actions did not lead to Love’s death.
The new appeal argues that Huguely went to Love’s apartment with the intention of only speaking with her and that it was undisputed that Love was alive when Huguely left. The appeal also says that Love fell to the floor and was accidentally smothered while sleeping face-down on a wet pillow.
The appeal also alleges that Huguely’s right to a fair trial was violated by the ineffective performance of his attorneys, among other factors.
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