Jury deliberations to begin on Wednesday in George Huguely murder trial
(CBS) CHARLOTTESVILLE, N. C. - The defense and prosecution made their closing arguments Saturday in the murder trial of George Huguely V.
After listening to more than three hours of closing arguments, jurors in the former UVA lacrosse player's trial decided to begin deliberations on Wednesday.
Pictures: Yeardley Love murdered, George Huguely charged
The Washington Post reports a prosecutor told jurors that Huguely did not merely leave his off-and-on again girlfriend 22-year-old Yeardley Love bleeding in her pillow, he left her unable to move, disabled from the damage that Huguely had done to her in their final violent argument in May 2010.
Commonwealth's Attorney Warner Champman asked, if the former women's lacrosse player could have moved, why wouldn't she have crawled to get help? If she could have moves, why wouldn't she have stopped Huguely from taking her laptop as he left?
In his final appeal to jurors, defense attorney Francis Lawrence urged them to reject the murder charge and consider a lesser crime. "George bears responsibility in her death. . . . He played a role in that, and he will take responsibility for it in a way you determine," Lawrence said.
However, he asked, "Where's the intent to kill?" -- a key element of first-degree premeditated murder, which can carry a sentence of life in prison. "He didn't kill her. He left her there alive."
Lawrence asked jurors to weigh involuntary manslaughter when he addressed them at the start of the trial. It carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Huguely has pleaded not guilty to all charges.