University of Virginia Lacrosse Player Charged in Girlfriend's Murder

May 3, 2010— -- A University of Virginia varsity lacrosse player was jailed today on murder charges, hours after the body of his on-and-off girlfriend and fellow lacrosse player was found in an off-campus apartment.

Police charged 22-year-old George Huguely, an anthropology major from Chevy Chase, Md., with first-degree murder, but have said little else about the alleged crime.

Police were called to the off campus apartment of Yeardley Love, a starter on UVA's varsity girl's lacrosse team, about 2:15 a.m. today by one of her roommates on the assumption that she had suffered alcohol poisoning.

Police found Love's body in her bed, motionless.

"I can tell you that when the police arrived, along with rescue personnel, and we were able to move her body -- having found that she was unresponsive -- the physical injuries to her body were immediately apparent," Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo told ABC News.

The chief offered no details of the extent of the injuries, or of the evidence that has led police to charge the 22-year-old suspect, fellow UVA lacrosse player George Huguely, with first degree murder.

"It's very, very early on. We still have a lot of work to do and we are somewhat conservative in the amount of facts that we want to give out about the case at this point," Longo said.

"I think it's probably safe to say that he's been cooperative up to this point," the chief said of the suspect.

Longo says Huguely is likely to appear via video conference for a bond hearing in general district court in Charlottesville tomorrow morning. A preliminary hearing date will be set then, Longo says.

Longo says Love and Huguely "had a relationship at some point in time," while one friend told ABC News that they were still in a relationship.

Their player profiles on the university's sports website show talented athletes from promising backgrounds.

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Love hailed from Cockeysville, Md., and attended the prestigious Notre Dame Preparatory School where she was all-county.

Reached by telephone, Love's older sister Alexis said that for now, the family had no comment.

Huguely, according to his athletic profile, weighed more than 200 pounds and was All-American in high school.

A source in the university community who asked to remain anonymous said he was in disbelief when he heard the allegations against against Huguely.

"I was in shock," said the source. "And I immediately started questioning it."

"[Huguely] was always well liked well respected and had plenty of friends," said the source adding that Huguely could be described as a "big man on campus."

Huguely had dated and had an intimate relationship with Love for "at least a year and a half," according to the source, and had met because the boys' and girls' lacrosse teams frequently socialized.

"Their circle of friends, and it was a large circle, they all knew they were together," said the source.

The source declined to comment on Huguely or Yeardley's drinking and partying habits and when asked if Huguely was one to grow possessive of a girlfriend, the source said, "He was not the jealous type."

"He has a clean history and he had a good job lined up at a commerical real estate firm in Washington, D.C.," said the source.