Virginia Lacrosse Player Yeardley Love Dead, Fellow Player Charged

Yeardley Love, a women's lacrosse player at Virginia, was found dead in her apartment early Monday morning. George Huguely, a men's lacrosse player at the school, has been charged with first-degree murder in her death.

According to the Washington Post, Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo said officers responded to a call at Love's apartment at about 2:15 AM Monday. Although the call reported an alcohol oversdose, officers concluded after observing "the obvious physical trauma to her" that she had actually been murdered. Huguely was arrested at his apartment about four hours later.

Longo said Love and Huguely "have had a romantic relationship but the exact status of that at this time is part of our investigation."

University of Virginia President John Casteen released the following statement, via the Charlottesville Daily Progress:

"Although we know nothing other than what appears in the Charlottesville Police Department's more recent statement, this death moves us to deep anguish for the loss of a student of uncommon talent and promise, and we express the University's and our own sympathy for [Yeardley Love's] family, team-mates, and friends. That she appears now to have been [slain] compounds this sense of loss by suggesting that Yeardley died without comfort or consolation from those closest to her. We mourn her death and feel anger on reading that the investigators believe that another student caused it."

"And let us all acknowledge that, however little we may know now about Yeardley Love's death, we do know that she did not have or deserve to die -- that she deserved the bright future she earned growing up, studying here, and developing her talents as a lacrosse player. She deserves to be remembered for her human goodness, her capacity for future greatness, and for the terrible way in which her young life has ended."

Love was 22 years old and is survived by her parents and a sister.