UPDATE: 10:25 p.m.: Jury recommends 25 years for Huguely

10:25 p.m.: A jury has recommended a 25-year sentence for George Huguely.

The sentence range came after emotional testimoney from Yeardley Love's family.

Love’s mother and sister wept in court Wednesday evening, as they told the jury that would sentence the man found guilty in her death about their loss.

Sharon Love, Yeardley’s mother, testified that she was home alone at 6 a.m. when a police officer delivered the news that her daughter was dead.

“I barely remember what I did that morning,” she told jurors.

She said she had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that her daughter was gone.

“When Yeardley’s friends would come into the room, I thought she would be behind them, but she wouldn’t,” Sharon Love testified.

She said she had been looking forward to both her daughters’ weddings and to having grandchildren.

“Every year that goes by, I’m afraid that I’m forgetting little pieces about her,” she said. “That just worries me.”

Lexie Love, who has been accompanied by her fiancé every day of the trial, told jurors about the hole left in her life by her sister’s death. She said that though she is happy, she constantly misses her sister.

“I can’t wait to get married, but something is missing, and I can’t overlook that,” she said through her tears.

She told jurors that she had promised her father before his death that she would look after the family.

“The absolute worst thing in the world that could ever happen, happened,” she said.

8:30 p.m.: Testifying before a jury began debating how long George Huguely should serve in prison for second-degree murder and grand larceny convictions, the family of the victim tearfully recounted their loss.

Yeardley Love's mother, Sharon Love, recalled being told by a police officer of her daughter's death. It was 6 a.m. She was home alone. She thought the police were there about her dog barking.

"For a long time I couldn't believe it was true. When Yeardley's friends would come into the room, I'd think she would be behind them, but she wouldn't," she said.
She said she finds memories of her daughter in the smallest of things.

"On some days it's just unbearable. ... It's just a little teeny thing but it sends you to bed for an hour," she said.
The other witness to testify before the jury went to deliberate was Love's sister, Lexie Love.

"You just have to put your game face and be really strong ... but all of a sudden it will creep up on you and take you down really hard," she said.
She said there's something that reminds her of her sister every day, whether it's the family dog, small jokes or the bathroom they shared.

"I've never wanted something so bad in my life ... to see her face again," she testified.

None of Huguely's relatives testified on his behalf, though there had been indications they might.

The prosecution praised the jury, and asked them to seek justice.

Defense attorney Rhonda Quagliana said Huguely's actions the night Love died aren't all that he is.

She asked them to remember his plea to police: "She's not dead. ... Please tell me she's not dead."

6:34 p.m. George Huguely has been found guilty of second-degree murder and grand larceny in Charlottesville Circuit Court. Huguely was acquitted of burglary, robbery and first-degree murder.

The jury took almost exactly nine hours to deliberate.

In Virginia, sentences for second-degree murder can range from 5 years up to 40.

The jury is considering its sentence now.

Huguely, of Chevy Chase, Md., was arrested hours after the body of Yeardley Love, his ex-girlfriend from Cockeysville, Md., was found in her 14th Street Northwest apartment.

Over the course of an 11-day trial, jurors heard of a tumultuous, at times manifestly aggressive relationship between the two University of Virginia fourth-years, one that culminated late on the night of May 2, 2010.

Prosecution and defense agreed that Huguely forced his way into Love’s bedroom and that from there things got physical. Both of the students were 22-years-old and intoxicated at the time.

An autopsy later concluded that Love died of blunt-force trauma to the head and in court Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman made a point of highlighting the size difference between the petite Love and Huguely, who stands more than six feet tall.

Defense attorney Francis McQ. Lawrence described the struggle as a tragic accident from which his client fled having no idea of its dire outcome. Medical experts called by the defense discounted the blunt-force theory and suggested that Love may have asphyxiated on her own bloody bedding.

Love was discovered by a roommate and pronounced dead at the scene early in the morning of May 3 by medics who tried for more than 20 minutes to revive her. The call had originally come in as a possible alcohol overdose.

Judge Edward Hogshire has given the jury instruction on its sentencing recommendation and Love's mother and sister have taken the stand to speak to their loss.

The sentencing phase continues.