(AP)
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A former college lacrosse player was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for the alcohol-fueled beating death of his ex-girlfriend. George W. Huguely V was sentenced for the slaying of 22-year-old Yeardley Love, who was found face down in her blood-soaked pillow on May 3, 2010. Authorities said the 24-year-old defendant left his on-again, off-again girlfriend to die after he kicked a hole in her bedroom door and physically confronted her about their sputtering two-year relationship. Police said he had been drinking heavily that day.
Circuit Judge Edward Hogshire reduced the jury's recommended sentence by three years. "Unlike Miss Love, Mr. Huguely still has the majority of his life ahead of him," he said. Before the sentence was read, Huguely addressed the court. He rose from the defense table and looked across the courtroom to Love's mother, Sharon Love, and tearfully said, "I'm so sorry for your loss." He also thanked family members for their support.
