1 00:00:15,767 --> 00:00:17,868 People on grounds definitely knew who the lacrosse 2 00:00:18,033 --> 00:00:19,066 kids were. 3 00:00:19,067 --> 00:00:21,801 We had won a national championship in 2004. 4 00:00:21,968 --> 00:00:25,100 A lot of our girls and guys were dating, and several 5 00:00:25,267 --> 00:00:26,601 got married. 6 00:00:29,067 --> 00:00:30,868 I don't think anybody recognized 7 00:00:31,033 --> 00:00:33,334 how deeply disturbed he was. 8 00:00:35,801 --> 00:00:38,667 People were giggling like, "Oh, Yeardley has a boyfriend." 9 00:00:38,834 --> 00:00:40,400 But he had a drinking problem. 10 00:00:40,567 --> 00:00:43,767 George's alcoholism progressively got worse. 11 00:00:46,100 --> 00:00:48,767 It should have set every alarm off, but we didn't-- 12 00:00:48,934 --> 00:00:50,167 nobody talked about it. 13 00:00:56,300 --> 00:00:59,367 We didn't ever think that it could go horribly wrong. 14 00:01:03,267 --> 00:01:04,667 When it comes to love, 15 00:01:04,834 --> 00:01:07,300 betrayal is the death of a thousand dreams... 16 00:01:07,467 --> 00:01:09,267 Elizabeth, over here! 17 00:01:10,367 --> 00:01:13,067 ...and the unraveling of countless lies. 18 00:01:13,234 --> 00:01:17,167 You can spend years picking up the pieces, examining them, 19 00:01:17,334 --> 00:01:19,667 rearranging them, digging through the past to 20 00:01:19,834 --> 00:01:20,901 make sense of it all. 21 00:01:22,467 --> 00:01:24,167 Navigating through my personal heartbreak 22 00:01:24,334 --> 00:01:26,701 took me back to my roots as an investigative journalist. 23 00:01:26,868 --> 00:01:27,767 Hi, I'm Elizabeth Chambers. 24 00:01:27,934 --> 00:01:28,868 Elizabeth Chambers. 25 00:01:29,033 --> 00:01:30,033 Elizabeth Chambers, 26 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:31,701 outside the Los Angeles Police Department. 27 00:01:33,033 --> 00:01:34,901 It ignited a curiosity inside of me about 28 00:01:35,067 --> 00:01:36,300 love that fractures... 29 00:01:36,467 --> 00:01:37,467 You can't escape it. 30 00:01:37,634 --> 00:01:38,767 ...inflicts lasting trauma... 31 00:01:38,934 --> 00:01:40,100 He broke me. 32 00:01:40,267 --> 00:01:41,667 Did you think there was a chance he could kill you? 33 00:01:41,834 --> 00:01:42,767 Oh, yeah. 34 00:01:42,934 --> 00:01:44,000 ...and can lead to tragedy. 35 00:01:44,167 --> 00:01:45,567 Unimaginable loss. 36 00:01:45,734 --> 00:01:48,067 I feel that it's part of my calling to meet with 37 00:01:48,234 --> 00:01:51,467 the victims, the survivors, to listen to their stories... 38 00:01:51,634 --> 00:01:53,100 You're still living in fear. 39 00:01:53,267 --> 00:01:54,367 Every single day. 40 00:01:54,534 --> 00:01:56,267 ...show how it can happen to anyone, 41 00:01:56,434 --> 00:01:57,801 and expose the truth. 42 00:01:59,601 --> 00:02:03,267 I'm Elizabeth Chambers, and this is "Toxic." 43 00:02:12,067 --> 00:02:15,300 You wake up, you have breakfast together, you go to classes 44 00:02:15,467 --> 00:02:20,167 together, you go to practice together, you study together, 45 00:02:20,334 --> 00:02:22,267 and then wake up the next day and do it all over again. 46 00:02:24,267 --> 00:02:26,467 You get pushed to the point where you don't think you can 47 00:02:26,634 --> 00:02:28,067 do more and then you do twice as much. 48 00:02:28,234 --> 00:02:32,300 It's kind of the mentality of a student athlete. 49 00:02:32,467 --> 00:02:35,000 We spent every waking moment together. 50 00:02:35,167 --> 00:02:39,000 It's an incredibly supportive system of each other, 51 00:02:39,167 --> 00:02:42,100 but it's also, there's a lot we didn't know 52 00:02:42,267 --> 00:02:44,000 that we didn't know. 53 00:02:44,167 --> 00:02:45,667 My younger sister, Catherine, went to 54 00:02:45,834 --> 00:02:48,000 the University of Virginia and played lacrosse there. 55 00:02:49,567 --> 00:02:52,400 This was our ACC championship. 56 00:02:52,567 --> 00:02:55,000 I think mom and dad had this framed in the basement, right? 57 00:02:55,167 --> 00:02:57,200 Yeah, exactly. 58 00:02:57,367 --> 00:03:00,367 So Yeardley played with us and we won the ACC championship 59 00:03:00,534 --> 00:03:01,767 that year and the following year. 60 00:03:01,934 --> 00:03:03,667 Wow. 61 00:03:03,834 --> 00:03:06,601 From visiting Catherine during college, I saw firsthand 62 00:03:06,767 --> 00:03:09,167 the bond between her teammates. 63 00:03:09,334 --> 00:03:12,567 It's hard to describe, but it's a rare, almost tribal 64 00:03:12,734 --> 00:03:14,300 devotion to one another. 65 00:03:15,601 --> 00:03:20,100 We had so many team traditions that were year over year that 66 00:03:20,267 --> 00:03:22,667 we all did together. - No wonder the bond is so deep. 67 00:03:26,167 --> 00:03:27,167 Here's Yeards. 68 00:03:29,467 --> 00:03:30,801 - Her eyes are so blue. - Yeah. 69 00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:34,200 One year after Catherine graduated, 70 00:03:34,367 --> 00:03:35,901 a friend and teammate fell victim to 71 00:03:36,067 --> 00:03:37,234 an unthinkable tragedy. 72 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,601 Losing Yeardley rocked not only our team, 73 00:03:40,767 --> 00:03:41,868 it rocked the teams around us. 74 00:03:42,033 --> 00:03:45,467 There was so much that I didn't know 75 00:03:45,634 --> 00:03:49,100 and so much that, like, makes you feel angry, 76 00:03:49,267 --> 00:03:52,167 makes you feel guilty, that we didn't do more as 77 00:03:52,334 --> 00:03:55,634 teammates or as friends to protect her. 78 00:03:58,100 --> 00:04:02,300 There's so much in the trial that I learned that I was just, 79 00:04:02,467 --> 00:04:03,767 you know, it's devastating. 80 00:04:03,934 --> 00:04:06,200 But the problem is often that different people see 81 00:04:06,367 --> 00:04:07,567 different things. 82 00:04:07,734 --> 00:04:09,701 And it's not until it's all pieced together where 83 00:04:09,868 --> 00:04:11,067 now you know what you didn't know. 84 00:04:11,234 --> 00:04:12,200 Mm-hmm. 85 00:04:19,501 --> 00:04:22,567 What was Yeardley like on and off the field? 86 00:04:24,667 --> 00:04:28,300 On the field, Yeardley was surprisingly really fierce, 87 00:04:28,467 --> 00:04:30,100 considering she was this tiny little thing. 88 00:04:30,267 --> 00:04:31,767 She was fast. She was a great runner. 89 00:04:32,868 --> 00:04:35,701 Off the field, she was a goofball, like, 90 00:04:35,868 --> 00:04:36,868 in the best way. 91 00:04:37,033 --> 00:04:39,267 So funny and sweet, very polite, 92 00:04:39,434 --> 00:04:40,868 always polite, always respectful. 93 00:04:41,868 --> 00:04:43,000 She was determined. 94 00:04:43,167 --> 00:04:45,868 She was headstrong and really kind. 95 00:04:46,033 --> 00:04:49,467 She and her sister, Lexie, got along great. 96 00:04:49,634 --> 00:04:52,767 She had tons of friends. She was just fun to be around. 97 00:04:52,934 --> 00:04:55,367 Everybody loved it when Yeardley was there. 98 00:04:55,534 --> 00:05:01,601 She was a delight in every way. She was a really happy person. 99 00:05:01,767 --> 00:05:03,667 I had the pleasure of meeting her twice, and honestly, 100 00:05:03,834 --> 00:05:05,801 just sunshine. - She is. 101 00:05:05,968 --> 00:05:09,300 That's a great description, sunshine. 102 00:05:09,467 --> 00:05:12,601 Yeards was as beautiful on the inside as outside. 103 00:05:12,767 --> 00:05:16,367 Those eyes were magnets, and they pulled everybody in. 104 00:05:16,534 --> 00:05:19,167 Just kindness, grace, grit. She was strong, 105 00:05:19,334 --> 00:05:21,801 and she was funny, and she was so, so smart. 106 00:05:21,968 --> 00:05:25,300 But her kindness really kind of pulled everything together. 107 00:05:25,467 --> 00:05:27,901 She just made people feel safe 108 00:05:28,067 --> 00:05:29,501 and comfortable and like they belonged. 109 00:05:30,667 --> 00:05:31,767 Yeardley's sunshine pulled 110 00:05:31,934 --> 00:05:35,667 another person in right away, George Huguely V. 111 00:05:35,834 --> 00:05:38,501 Just like Yeardley, he had come to the University of Virginia 112 00:05:38,667 --> 00:05:40,100 as a star lacrosse player. 113 00:05:40,267 --> 00:05:41,767 He came from an affluent Washington, D.C. 114 00:05:41,934 --> 00:05:44,167 family whose wealth was built over generations in 115 00:05:44,334 --> 00:05:45,400 the construction business, 116 00:05:45,567 --> 00:05:47,067 stretching back more than a century. 117 00:05:48,267 --> 00:05:50,467 And after his parents divorced when he was a child, 118 00:05:50,634 --> 00:05:52,868 he attended an elite prep school called Landon, 119 00:05:53,033 --> 00:05:55,567 where he was widely considered a star athlete. 120 00:05:55,734 --> 00:05:58,400 By all accounts, George was charming and charismatic, 121 00:05:58,567 --> 00:06:01,734 too, and he was immediately enraptured by Yeardley. 122 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,567 They were in Spanish class together, freshman year, 123 00:06:06,734 --> 00:06:09,067 I guess the first class. 124 00:06:09,234 --> 00:06:11,567 He came up to her and said, "I'll dump my girlfriend if 125 00:06:11,734 --> 00:06:12,901 you'll dump your boyfriend." 126 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:18,000 And she said, "No," and then they went their ways. 127 00:06:18,167 --> 00:06:20,067 But that was the only thing she told me about him 128 00:06:20,234 --> 00:06:21,267 freshman year. 129 00:06:21,434 --> 00:06:24,200 Then sophomore year, I guess, he-- 130 00:06:24,367 --> 00:06:27,300 I guess he had somewhat of an endearing personality. 131 00:06:30,801 --> 00:06:33,467 He was one of the top recruits. 132 00:06:33,634 --> 00:06:36,167 His reputation in the beginning was, he's a lot of fun. 133 00:06:37,267 --> 00:06:38,968 He's the life of the party. 134 00:06:39,133 --> 00:06:42,200 People were giggling like, "Oh, Yeardley has a boyfriend." 135 00:06:42,367 --> 00:06:45,267 They were one of the power couples of Virginia lacrosse. 136 00:06:45,434 --> 00:06:47,601 For Yeardley, though, playing on this team was what 137 00:06:47,767 --> 00:06:48,868 was most important. 138 00:06:49,033 --> 00:06:50,200 This had been the culmination 139 00:06:50,367 --> 00:06:52,968 of a lifetime of dreams, but also heartbreak. 140 00:06:54,667 --> 00:06:57,467 She was great at sports. She loved lacrosse. 141 00:06:57,634 --> 00:06:59,868 She started playing when she was 5 years old 142 00:07:00,100 --> 00:07:01,300 and loved it. 143 00:07:01,467 --> 00:07:05,501 My husband became sick when she was in 6th grade. 144 00:07:05,667 --> 00:07:08,767 He just came home and told me he had advanced cancer, 145 00:07:08,934 --> 00:07:12,067 and there wasn't really anything they could do. 146 00:07:12,234 --> 00:07:14,667 When she played lacrosse at Notre Dame High School, 147 00:07:14,834 --> 00:07:18,367 the coach would let me drive my car down onto the field. 148 00:07:18,534 --> 00:07:21,400 Her dad would watch the game from the car. 149 00:07:21,567 --> 00:07:26,000 And life just kept going as best you could make it go. 150 00:07:26,167 --> 00:07:27,300 Mm-hmm. 151 00:07:27,467 --> 00:07:29,100 Until you couldn't, until it was over. 152 00:07:31,100 --> 00:07:34,667 How did her father's passing affect Yeardley? 153 00:07:34,834 --> 00:07:38,567 She and her sister Lexie vowed to make him proud. 154 00:07:38,734 --> 00:07:41,167 She was so young when she decided she wanted to go 155 00:07:41,334 --> 00:07:42,367 to UVA. 156 00:07:42,534 --> 00:07:44,801 She wanted to follow in his footsteps. 157 00:07:44,968 --> 00:07:48,167 He had gone to UVA, and she vowed she'd go to UVA 158 00:07:48,334 --> 00:07:50,968 too, which is a big promise. 159 00:07:51,133 --> 00:07:53,334 She wasn't going to go anywhere but there. 160 00:07:55,801 --> 00:07:58,100 The team was a tight-knit group. 161 00:07:59,267 --> 00:08:02,868 All the parties were always at the girls' lacrosse house, 162 00:08:03,033 --> 00:08:04,868 and everybody got along great. 163 00:08:05,033 --> 00:08:08,467 It was a whole team that moved through together, 164 00:08:08,634 --> 00:08:11,167 and they became closer every year. 165 00:08:11,334 --> 00:08:14,300 Tell me about her friends. Tell me about the Six-Pack. 166 00:08:14,467 --> 00:08:16,267 Oh, my God, they're funny. 167 00:08:16,434 --> 00:08:18,701 Katie and Caitlin and Yeardley Love. 168 00:08:18,868 --> 00:08:20,067 Super, super, super tight. 169 00:08:20,234 --> 00:08:22,601 I mean, they could finish each other's thoughts. 170 00:08:22,767 --> 00:08:25,300 They were thick as thieves in good ways. 171 00:08:25,467 --> 00:08:28,167 And the six-part is because the guys that they dated also 172 00:08:28,334 --> 00:08:29,767 hung out with each other and with them, right? 173 00:08:29,934 --> 00:08:32,467 Correct. So Yeardley, Katie, and Caitlin dated 174 00:08:32,634 --> 00:08:34,167 three best friends on the guys' team. 175 00:08:34,334 --> 00:08:37,067 A lot of our girls and guys were dating, and several got 176 00:08:37,234 --> 00:08:39,200 married and have beautiful families. 177 00:08:40,567 --> 00:08:44,000 We didn't ever think that it could go horribly wrong. 178 00:08:46,267 --> 00:08:48,801 So all of these houses are student houses. 179 00:08:48,968 --> 00:08:51,701 We had teammates that lived down this street. 180 00:08:51,868 --> 00:08:53,367 Oh, this is all different. 181 00:08:55,601 --> 00:08:57,400 Isn't that where Yeardley was the night she passed away? 182 00:08:58,567 --> 00:09:00,267 Yes. 183 00:09:02,701 --> 00:09:05,367 What did you think of George when you met him in person? 184 00:09:05,534 --> 00:09:08,467 He came to the house once or twice, and obviously, 185 00:09:08,634 --> 00:09:10,100 I didn't get to know him well enough. 186 00:09:10,267 --> 00:09:11,500 It wasn't that I didn't like him. 187 00:09:11,501 --> 00:09:15,567 It was that I didn't feel like he had any ambition or any 188 00:09:15,734 --> 00:09:19,067 drive, and he was self-centered. 189 00:09:19,234 --> 00:09:22,601 I think George thought extremely highly of himself 190 00:09:22,767 --> 00:09:26,200 and felt like he had a ticket to whatever he wanted to do. 191 00:09:28,667 --> 00:09:31,868 I think kids, and this has probably always been true 192 00:09:32,033 --> 00:09:34,601 and always will be, they'll share what they want to 193 00:09:34,767 --> 00:09:37,701 share, and they'll protect their friends and their stories 194 00:09:37,868 --> 00:09:40,667 if they don't want to have to deal with it or don't want to 195 00:09:40,834 --> 00:09:42,868 kind of get anyone in trouble. 196 00:09:43,033 --> 00:09:44,968 You know, I think Yeardley would have answered a question if I 197 00:09:45,133 --> 00:09:47,601 had asked it, but I don't think I ever asked her the right one. 198 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:54,167 In the beginning, he wasn't as possessive, but I think as time 199 00:09:54,334 --> 00:09:56,767 went on, it started becoming not fun. 200 00:09:56,934 --> 00:10:01,467 And I think drinking started to become a huge part of that. 201 00:10:02,968 --> 00:10:04,267 I think that there were 202 00:10:04,434 --> 00:10:06,000 unhealthy behaviors that were escalating. 203 00:10:06,167 --> 00:10:08,167 He had been drinking more and more and more. 204 00:10:08,334 --> 00:10:10,267 But she loved people, and she saw the good 205 00:10:10,434 --> 00:10:11,501 in everyone. 206 00:10:11,667 --> 00:10:13,167 Did you know his family at all, or did you have 207 00:10:13,334 --> 00:10:14,467 mutual friends? 208 00:10:14,634 --> 00:10:16,100 I met his father one night. 209 00:10:16,267 --> 00:10:18,067 They were doing a fundraiser, I guess, for 210 00:10:18,234 --> 00:10:21,467 the Athletic Association. And it was a brief 211 00:10:22,767 --> 00:10:25,767 encounter, but it was like somebody that never grew up. 212 00:10:27,467 --> 00:10:28,767 Do you know what kind of relationship George 213 00:10:28,934 --> 00:10:30,367 had with his dad? 214 00:10:30,534 --> 00:10:32,367 Volatile. 215 00:10:32,534 --> 00:10:36,901 It seemed to me that George's father embarrassed him. 216 00:10:39,367 --> 00:10:41,767 When you are, you know, wealthy, 217 00:10:41,934 --> 00:10:45,167 when you have privilege, like you don't follow 218 00:10:45,334 --> 00:10:46,334 the same rules. 219 00:10:46,501 --> 00:10:49,267 And I think we just normalized the drinking, 220 00:10:49,434 --> 00:10:50,801 the decisions, the behavior. 221 00:10:52,467 --> 00:10:56,901 George was a drunk, but nobody picked up on any 222 00:10:57,067 --> 00:10:59,067 signs that he was abusive. 223 00:10:59,234 --> 00:11:01,667 I don't think anybody recognized how deeply 224 00:11:01,834 --> 00:11:03,467 disturbed he was. 225 00:11:03,634 --> 00:11:10,400 In hindsight, I'd do anything to take back or rewrite. 226 00:11:12,868 --> 00:11:14,501 By all accounts, George's bad behavior 227 00:11:14,667 --> 00:11:16,367 and public drinking escalates. 228 00:11:16,534 --> 00:11:18,968 And in November 2008, he was arrested in Lexington, 229 00:11:19,133 --> 00:11:21,367 Virginia for public intoxication. 230 00:11:21,534 --> 00:11:23,167 We did end up on the ground at one point. 231 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:25,501 Kept telling him to stop resisting. 232 00:11:25,667 --> 00:11:27,467 She was forced to use a taser on him 233 00:11:27,634 --> 00:11:29,267 after he shouted racial 234 00:11:29,434 --> 00:11:31,667 and sexual obscenities in a drunken rage. 235 00:11:35,901 --> 00:11:38,367 2 236 00:11:38,534 --> 00:11:39,868 He ended up getting charged. 237 00:11:41,167 --> 00:11:43,400 - A female officer. - Yeah. 238 00:11:45,067 --> 00:11:46,667 It should have set every alarm off. 239 00:11:48,167 --> 00:11:49,968 Turns out George pled guilty to public 240 00:11:50,133 --> 00:11:52,801 swearing, intoxication, and resisting arrest. 241 00:11:52,968 --> 00:11:56,100 He was given a 60-day suspended sentence and six months 242 00:11:56,267 --> 00:11:57,534 of probation. 243 00:11:57,701 --> 00:12:01,067 He was fined $100 and never reported the incident to UVA, 244 00:12:01,234 --> 00:12:03,100 despite it being a requirement. 245 00:12:03,267 --> 00:12:04,300 So the lacrosse coaches 246 00:12:04,467 --> 00:12:06,467 had no knowledge of his arrest at that time. 247 00:12:12,501 --> 00:12:14,601 The kids on his team recognized that he had 248 00:12:14,767 --> 00:12:18,000 a drinking problem, which kind of stuck out to us because 249 00:12:18,167 --> 00:12:20,367 they didn't recognize that he had an anger problem. 250 00:12:21,767 --> 00:12:24,868 I don't think people really understood limits. 251 00:12:25,033 --> 00:12:26,167 Boys will be boys. 252 00:12:26,334 --> 00:12:27,767 You never know what's going to happen. 253 00:12:27,934 --> 00:12:29,400 And I remember saying to the girls, like, "If you never 254 00:12:29,567 --> 00:12:31,167 know what's going to happen, maybe you shouldn't go." 255 00:12:33,167 --> 00:12:36,667 Drinking made it an excusable offense because you weren't 256 00:12:36,834 --> 00:12:37,868 drunk the next day. 257 00:12:38,033 --> 00:12:40,100 But it's so much bigger than that. 258 00:12:40,267 --> 00:12:43,367 He's a hazard to any relationship he's going 259 00:12:43,534 --> 00:12:45,200 to get into. 260 00:12:45,367 --> 00:12:47,367 I do think that he started to drink more and more as 261 00:12:47,534 --> 00:12:48,868 his college career went on. 262 00:12:49,033 --> 00:12:51,801 The athletic trainer did a survey, how many beers are 263 00:12:51,968 --> 00:12:53,267 you drinking on a weekend? 264 00:12:53,434 --> 00:12:56,400 And I did hear that it was like up to 30 beers in a weekend, 265 00:12:56,567 --> 00:12:57,601 which is 266 00:12:57,767 --> 00:12:58,667 a lot of beers. 267 00:13:03,667 --> 00:13:06,367 George was just generally kind of a jerky guy, and we didn't 268 00:13:06,534 --> 00:13:08,567 want to hang out with him. 269 00:13:08,734 --> 00:13:11,667 My 21st birthday was in that house right there and... 270 00:13:13,100 --> 00:13:16,467 he wanted to come in, and he was not welcome. 271 00:13:16,634 --> 00:13:18,067 He was not someone that we wanted to be 272 00:13:18,234 --> 00:13:19,267 affiliated with. 273 00:13:19,434 --> 00:13:20,501 What did he say when you told 274 00:13:20,667 --> 00:13:22,166 him you couldn't come to your birthday? 275 00:13:22,167 --> 00:13:23,767 He accused me of all kinds of things because I wouldn't 276 00:13:23,934 --> 00:13:27,267 let him in. - Was he belligerent? 277 00:13:27,434 --> 00:13:28,567 Like, what was his tone? 278 00:13:28,734 --> 00:13:30,100 Yeah, I mean, he drank a lot. 279 00:13:30,267 --> 00:13:33,267 I mean, it's a work hard, play hard community, 280 00:13:33,434 --> 00:13:37,000 but I also felt like he was, 281 00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:39,601 it was not just alcohol. 282 00:13:39,767 --> 00:13:45,100 And so he was just not in my realm of social comfortability. 283 00:13:45,267 --> 00:13:47,801 And there's a history of that in his other 284 00:13:47,968 --> 00:13:49,233 aggressive moments. 285 00:13:49,234 --> 00:13:53,467 Just generally, his idea of playing hard was not our idea 286 00:13:53,634 --> 00:13:55,100 of fun. 287 00:13:55,267 --> 00:13:57,067 I wanna know if he thinks about her every day. 288 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:01,000 I think our teammates all think about her every day. 289 00:14:05,667 --> 00:14:07,601 Do you remember the first time that you met Yeardley? 290 00:14:08,667 --> 00:14:11,400 I don't know that I could pinpoint exactly when I first 291 00:14:11,567 --> 00:14:14,400 met her. I was class of 2008. 292 00:14:14,567 --> 00:14:15,868 She was 2010. 293 00:14:16,033 --> 00:14:17,167 So I was two years ahead of her. 294 00:14:17,334 --> 00:14:18,367 I played with her for two years. 295 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,901 I left for a year. I coached at Yale. 296 00:14:22,067 --> 00:14:24,100 And then I came back and coached at Virginia. 297 00:14:26,167 --> 00:14:27,868 So easy to describe her, because she was just sort of 298 00:14:28,033 --> 00:14:31,567 like the happiest kid and always with a smile on 299 00:14:31,734 --> 00:14:34,000 her face, and she just sort of brought like a light 300 00:14:34,167 --> 00:14:36,601 to the room. 301 00:14:38,367 --> 00:14:42,367 I also remember her barely being able to lift the bar in 302 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,667 the weight room, but she grew into that. 303 00:14:46,834 --> 00:14:49,100 She was just a really strong individual. 304 00:14:50,567 --> 00:14:51,767 Yeah, she was just a light. 305 00:14:51,934 --> 00:14:53,767 - Just pure joy. - It was. 306 00:14:53,934 --> 00:14:55,501 Was George known as an alcoholic? 307 00:14:55,667 --> 00:14:58,767 Did you get the sense that that was his reputation at the time? 308 00:14:58,934 --> 00:15:01,367 Yeah, I mean, I would certainly say 309 00:15:01,534 --> 00:15:02,701 he abused alcohol. 310 00:15:02,868 --> 00:15:05,400 Looking back, did you feel like 311 00:15:06,901 --> 00:15:08,367 there were certain dynamics 312 00:15:08,534 --> 00:15:10,100 that could have been red flags 313 00:15:10,267 --> 00:15:12,100 at the time or not really? 314 00:15:12,267 --> 00:15:17,167 It's hard to call something a red flag until you sort of 315 00:15:17,334 --> 00:15:19,300 have that hindsight, right? 316 00:15:19,467 --> 00:15:22,367 I'm sure there were things, but were people talking 317 00:15:22,534 --> 00:15:24,267 about them? - And the aggression is so real. 318 00:15:24,434 --> 00:15:26,367 You know, we're talking about lacrosse, right? 319 00:15:26,534 --> 00:15:30,467 You hit, you check, you are really celebrated for 320 00:15:30,634 --> 00:15:31,801 being a beast on the field, right? 321 00:15:31,968 --> 00:15:33,267 For being violent on the field. 322 00:15:33,434 --> 00:15:35,667 And we know that he had a huge history of drinking. 323 00:15:35,834 --> 00:15:38,567 Do you think that it was almost a perfect storm? 324 00:15:38,734 --> 00:15:40,000 I think alcohol, obviously, 325 00:15:41,868 --> 00:15:44,501 hurts the situation, elevates the situation, 326 00:15:44,667 --> 00:15:46,467 but it's not always alcohol. 327 00:15:46,634 --> 00:15:50,267 Sometimes there is something in that person that is willing to 328 00:15:51,901 --> 00:15:53,400 go that next level. 329 00:15:53,567 --> 00:15:55,667 And when a person is willing to put their hands on you, 330 00:15:55,834 --> 00:15:57,567 that person is going to kill you at some point. 331 00:15:57,734 --> 00:15:58,767 And there's going to be a trigger. 332 00:15:58,934 --> 00:16:02,167 And that is the scariest piece of it. 333 00:16:02,334 --> 00:16:05,100 That warning feels increasingly real as another 334 00:16:05,267 --> 00:16:06,567 violent incident unfolds. 335 00:16:07,601 --> 00:16:09,868 By the second semester of Yeardley's junior year, 336 00:16:10,033 --> 00:16:11,067 she and George are on-again, 337 00:16:11,234 --> 00:16:13,467 off-again in their relationship. 338 00:16:13,634 --> 00:16:15,667 When George hears of another member of the men's lacrosse 339 00:16:15,834 --> 00:16:18,567 team showing interest in Yeardley, his jealousy quickly 340 00:16:18,734 --> 00:16:20,133 turns volatile. 341 00:16:22,601 --> 00:16:25,567 Gavin is one of George's teammates. 342 00:16:25,734 --> 00:16:27,100 I don't know whether I heard from the other 343 00:16:27,267 --> 00:16:28,901 mothers or Yeardley, 344 00:16:29,868 --> 00:16:32,767 but they said George went to his room in the middle of 345 00:16:32,934 --> 00:16:36,767 the night, and it was extremely serious what he did 346 00:16:36,934 --> 00:16:37,868 to Gavin. 347 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,868 2 As I understand it, Gavin had walked Yeardley home one night. 348 00:16:46,033 --> 00:16:48,200 And keeping in mind, Yeardley's apartment is on 349 00:16:48,367 --> 00:16:49,767 Gavin's way home. 350 00:16:49,934 --> 00:16:52,100 So they walked by, made sure Yeardley got in, 351 00:16:52,267 --> 00:16:54,300 and then he continued home to his apartment. 352 00:16:55,968 --> 00:16:58,267 George went to his room in the middle of the night 353 00:16:58,434 --> 00:17:00,267 and beat him up. 354 00:17:00,434 --> 00:17:01,667 There wasn't just a few punches. 355 00:17:01,834 --> 00:17:05,267 I think it was extremely serious what he did to Gavin. 356 00:17:05,434 --> 00:17:09,467 George put soap bars in a pillowcase and swung them at 357 00:17:09,634 --> 00:17:11,200 his head while he was sleeping. 358 00:17:13,667 --> 00:17:16,100 He didn't kill him, but they said that 359 00:17:16,267 --> 00:17:18,167 Gavin's head was like 360 00:17:19,267 --> 00:17:21,868 a basketball. - Did he go to the hospital? 361 00:17:22,033 --> 00:17:24,167 He did. Yeah, he was really lucky. 362 00:17:24,334 --> 00:17:26,000 He did not need surgery in the end, 363 00:17:26,167 --> 00:17:27,399 but he was really lucky. 364 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,000 They thought one more blow to his head or his temple and 365 00:17:29,167 --> 00:17:31,901 he would be blind or dead. - This wasn't a bar fight. 366 00:17:32,067 --> 00:17:33,100 No. 367 00:17:33,267 --> 00:17:35,167 This is not equal fighters coming together. 368 00:17:35,334 --> 00:17:37,067 No. He was asleep. 369 00:17:37,234 --> 00:17:38,667 And there was no threat. 370 00:17:38,834 --> 00:17:41,701 How do you get to keep playing and be on the team after you do 371 00:17:41,868 --> 00:17:42,901 that to one of your teammates? 372 00:17:44,100 --> 00:17:46,200 Maybe George should have been stopped then. 373 00:17:48,667 --> 00:17:51,467 I think people saw it as you drank too much 374 00:17:51,634 --> 00:17:52,767 or you need to let go. 375 00:17:53,968 --> 00:17:56,267 Of course, they had to tell the coaches on the men's 376 00:17:56,434 --> 00:17:58,968 program because now Gavin can't put a helmet on. 377 00:17:59,133 --> 00:18:02,000 He's so swollen and he needs to be in the hospital. 378 00:18:02,167 --> 00:18:04,267 But the way that it was presented to them is we got in 379 00:18:04,434 --> 00:18:05,767 a fight, we're all set. 380 00:18:05,934 --> 00:18:07,467 We figured it out, we made it work, 381 00:18:07,634 --> 00:18:08,868 you don't have anything to worry about. 382 00:18:09,033 --> 00:18:10,300 And so, it very quickly went away. 383 00:18:12,767 --> 00:18:15,567 The team was worried, but we were two of 384 00:18:15,734 --> 00:18:17,167 top four teams in the country. 385 00:18:17,334 --> 00:18:19,000 We both wanted to win championships. 386 00:18:19,167 --> 00:18:22,300 And then we were going to try to get them some help, is what 387 00:18:22,467 --> 00:18:24,100 the teammates would say. 388 00:18:24,267 --> 00:18:27,267 I think nobody wants to ruin the juju of a good season. 389 00:18:27,434 --> 00:18:30,467 Both teams were really, really good and super talented 390 00:18:30,634 --> 00:18:31,968 and poised for deep runs. 391 00:18:32,133 --> 00:18:34,767 Nobody understood what we were protecting. 392 00:18:34,934 --> 00:18:37,701 Nobody understood what was happening. 393 00:18:37,868 --> 00:18:41,367 It was kind of like that came and went and they were back 394 00:18:41,534 --> 00:18:45,367 playing lacrosse. It was never taken seriously. 395 00:18:45,534 --> 00:18:47,367 Just kind of knowing how the next few months then play 396 00:18:47,534 --> 00:18:50,300 out, I do think that was a really big moment because it 397 00:18:50,467 --> 00:18:53,067 was driven by jealousy over Yeardley. 398 00:18:53,234 --> 00:18:54,968 He was lucky he wasn't killed. 399 00:18:55,133 --> 00:18:57,701 And it was all because he had walked her home. 400 00:18:58,968 --> 00:19:01,701 I don't know that I'll ever fully understand 401 00:19:01,868 --> 00:19:04,667 his thought process or what exactly triggered him, 402 00:19:04,834 --> 00:19:07,400 but I certainly would think it would have something to do with 403 00:19:07,567 --> 00:19:11,000 control and possessiveness. 404 00:19:11,167 --> 00:19:12,968 Yeardley was living in danger for quite some time. 405 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:17,767 After a junior year and over two years of dating George, 406 00:19:17,934 --> 00:19:20,167 Yeardley sets her sights on graduation and spends 407 00:19:20,334 --> 00:19:22,100 her summer in New York, interning at a PR 408 00:19:22,267 --> 00:19:23,533 and marketing firm. 409 00:19:23,534 --> 00:19:25,801 She even has a job lined up for when she finishes college. 410 00:19:29,767 --> 00:19:31,200 Everything was organized. 411 00:19:31,367 --> 00:19:34,267 When she was graduating, she was going to New York to 412 00:19:34,434 --> 00:19:36,567 work for a year, then she was going to law school. 413 00:19:36,734 --> 00:19:40,000 She had ever, her life always was laid out ahead of time. 414 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,467 I think Yeardley, when she moved to New York for 415 00:19:43,634 --> 00:19:46,267 that summer, she actually liked having some independence, 416 00:19:46,434 --> 00:19:49,200 and I think that gave her different confidence. 417 00:19:49,367 --> 00:19:52,267 My sense of things is like that sense of independence 418 00:19:52,434 --> 00:19:55,300 didn't sit well with George. 419 00:19:57,767 --> 00:19:59,601 Did you get the sense that Yeardley was just wanting to get 420 00:19:59,767 --> 00:20:02,467 to graduation and then the George situation would take 421 00:20:02,634 --> 00:20:04,467 care of itself? - I think so. 422 00:20:04,634 --> 00:20:07,000 This was like the grand finale. 423 00:20:07,167 --> 00:20:09,868 Lacrosse ended, everything ended, 424 00:20:10,033 --> 00:20:12,567 and now there's a fresh start in New York. 425 00:20:12,734 --> 00:20:16,567 I think as graduation was kind of her exit, it was also what 426 00:20:16,734 --> 00:20:17,901 he worried most about. 427 00:20:18,067 --> 00:20:20,667 She was about to take everything she learned 428 00:20:20,834 --> 00:20:23,567 and experienced, and go become a young adult. 429 00:20:23,734 --> 00:20:24,767 He was about to lose her. 430 00:20:26,100 --> 00:20:29,067 I do think that he loved Yeardley in a way that 431 00:20:29,234 --> 00:20:31,934 he couldn't control and really couldn't manage. 432 00:20:34,367 --> 00:20:36,901 In terms of Yeardley as a player and as a student, 433 00:20:37,067 --> 00:20:40,367 did you ever notice any changes in her personality 434 00:20:40,534 --> 00:20:41,700 or anything like that? 435 00:20:41,701 --> 00:20:43,801 Or did anyone like talk about anything on the team? 436 00:20:43,968 --> 00:20:47,367 If she was shouldering something, then I didn't see it 437 00:20:48,667 --> 00:20:50,767 and I didn't hear about it. 438 00:20:55,367 --> 00:20:57,167 Did you feel like there was ever a turning point in 439 00:20:57,334 --> 00:21:00,267 the relationship where things started to be less happy 440 00:21:00,434 --> 00:21:01,901 and less carefree? 441 00:21:02,067 --> 00:21:05,467 I think it might have been senior year when his grades 442 00:21:05,634 --> 00:21:08,968 were iffy, and I know Yeardley was making him go to 443 00:21:09,133 --> 00:21:13,501 the library and making him do his work, and I felt like 444 00:21:13,667 --> 00:21:19,167 the relationship switched over to she was the caretaker, 445 00:21:19,334 --> 00:21:20,601 more than the girlfriend. 446 00:21:21,968 --> 00:21:24,367 She was trying to help him graduate, you know, finish your 447 00:21:24,534 --> 00:21:27,767 classes and just finish, but you do need to have some 448 00:21:27,934 --> 00:21:29,767 boundaries that you set for yourself. 449 00:21:29,934 --> 00:21:33,868 I think gradually she realized nothing's going to change, 450 00:21:34,033 --> 00:21:35,234 and they broke up. 451 00:21:37,300 --> 00:21:39,000 At some point their fourth year, I had heard 452 00:21:39,167 --> 00:21:40,333 that they had broken up. 453 00:21:40,334 --> 00:21:43,667 Unhealthy relationships usually break up seven times 454 00:21:43,834 --> 00:21:44,901 before it's over. 455 00:21:45,067 --> 00:21:48,167 So I would imagine there was a cycle of 456 00:21:48,334 --> 00:21:51,467 a breakup to a reunion to a breakup. 457 00:21:51,634 --> 00:21:55,000 Once you're in it, it's hard to see your way out, 458 00:21:55,167 --> 00:21:58,868 and it's hard to see what is actually going on, 459 00:21:59,868 --> 00:22:01,167 whether it's verbal abuse, 460 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:03,667 physical abuse, just 461 00:22:03,834 --> 00:22:05,300 a controlling, a manipulation. 462 00:22:05,467 --> 00:22:07,868 Everything's good until it's not. 463 00:22:08,033 --> 00:22:10,000 Senior year, it was on-again, off-again. 464 00:22:10,167 --> 00:22:12,767 But she didn't realize he was seeing other people behind 465 00:22:12,934 --> 00:22:17,067 her back, and I think she found that out, and they broke up, 466 00:22:17,234 --> 00:22:18,367 and that was it. 467 00:22:18,534 --> 00:22:20,367 And I don't think he really cared that much. 468 00:22:20,534 --> 00:22:23,567 He still had the devil-may-care attitude until she met 469 00:22:23,734 --> 00:22:25,868 somebody, and then it's like, 470 00:22:27,167 --> 00:22:29,834 you know, "that's mine." 471 00:22:32,267 --> 00:22:35,000 In the spring of her fourth year, she had a friend that 472 00:22:35,167 --> 00:22:37,467 she started to talk to that played at Carolina, 473 00:22:37,634 --> 00:22:38,767 and he came to visit. 474 00:22:39,701 --> 00:22:43,367 They liked each other and, I guess, started dating. 475 00:22:43,534 --> 00:22:47,267 There was one weekend, it was like a party atmosphere at 476 00:22:47,434 --> 00:22:49,200 a girl's lacrosse house. 477 00:22:49,367 --> 00:22:52,501 George didn't like it, so he asked her to come into 478 00:22:52,667 --> 00:22:54,367 a bedroom because he wanted to talk to her. 479 00:22:54,534 --> 00:22:57,267 I don't know what words he said to her or why. 480 00:22:57,434 --> 00:23:00,067 I think he was angry that she had met somebody. 481 00:23:02,267 --> 00:23:04,067 And then that turned into pushing her on the bed, 482 00:23:04,234 --> 00:23:06,267 to getting on top of her, and to choking her. 483 00:23:07,868 --> 00:23:10,300 She was able to knock that lamp off a nightstand, and so people 484 00:23:10,467 --> 00:23:13,067 came into the room and pulled him off of her. 485 00:23:13,234 --> 00:23:15,767 He, of course, was drunk, and so it was, 486 00:23:15,934 --> 00:23:18,467 "He'd never do that sober. That would never happen again." 487 00:23:19,501 --> 00:23:21,000 That was the first time that I know of 488 00:23:21,167 --> 00:23:23,601 that he put his hands on her. 489 00:23:23,767 --> 00:23:25,501 But chances are, you've done something before 490 00:23:25,667 --> 00:23:26,767 you choke somebody. 491 00:23:26,934 --> 00:23:28,901 So chances are, she had experienced something 492 00:23:29,067 --> 00:23:30,667 physical, something aggressive. 493 00:23:30,834 --> 00:23:32,467 But choking is a really huge red flag. 494 00:23:34,067 --> 00:23:36,667 By now, George's violence is becoming a pattern. 495 00:23:36,834 --> 00:23:39,767 A police officer, Gavin, and now Yeardley. 496 00:23:39,934 --> 00:23:43,701 But looking into his past, I found another allegation. 497 00:23:43,868 --> 00:23:45,868 A former player on the women's lacrosse team says 498 00:23:46,033 --> 00:23:48,868 George Huguely choked her in a bar in 2009 499 00:23:49,033 --> 00:23:51,400 after she spoke up about his behavior. 500 00:23:51,567 --> 00:23:53,968 Another act of violence nearly a year before 501 00:23:54,133 --> 00:23:55,400 he put his hands on Yeardley. 502 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:58,467 By then, George seemed to move through the world believing 503 00:23:58,634 --> 00:24:01,701 there would be no consequences as he faced no significant 504 00:24:01,868 --> 00:24:03,968 repercussions for this assault. 505 00:24:04,133 --> 00:24:06,501 I think if somebody is willing to put their hands around your 506 00:24:06,667 --> 00:24:08,767 neck, then they are willing to take your life. 507 00:24:10,701 --> 00:24:13,067 That weekend, Yeardley called her mom to come get her. 508 00:24:13,234 --> 00:24:15,267 - Uh-huh. - And she went home. 509 00:24:15,434 --> 00:24:17,300 She even took Monday off of school, and 510 00:24:17,467 --> 00:24:18,767 I'm assuming practice. 511 00:24:18,934 --> 00:24:20,868 She actually drove home that night because 512 00:24:21,033 --> 00:24:23,200 she was like, "I don't feel safe." 513 00:24:25,667 --> 00:24:29,667 So I went and picked her up. I didn't know the details. 514 00:24:29,834 --> 00:24:32,767 It didn't seem to me at the time to be like, 515 00:24:32,934 --> 00:24:35,000 "Oh my God, I better call the police." 516 00:24:35,167 --> 00:24:36,467 I would have never taken 517 00:24:36,634 --> 00:24:38,467 her back to school if I had thought that. 518 00:24:38,634 --> 00:24:41,100 I just thought it was like a upsetting 519 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:43,634 incident. 520 00:24:43,801 --> 00:24:47,968 It never occurred to me it was a precursor to what he was 521 00:24:48,133 --> 00:24:50,267 really capable of. 522 00:24:50,434 --> 00:24:52,567 This is now a whole different level, and I think this is when 523 00:24:52,734 --> 00:24:55,100 she triggered, "I won't see him if he's ever drinking. 524 00:24:55,267 --> 00:24:56,434 I'm going to stay away." 525 00:24:57,667 --> 00:24:59,868 But they lived across a parking lot from each other. 526 00:25:00,100 --> 00:25:01,667 Our locker rooms were next to each other. 527 00:25:01,834 --> 00:25:04,567 We shared a field, and we shared a weight room. 528 00:25:04,734 --> 00:25:07,501 So there was never really going to be total separation. 529 00:25:07,667 --> 00:25:10,901 So he certainly knew where she was, just by proximity of 530 00:25:11,067 --> 00:25:12,367 the circles that they ran in. 531 00:25:14,501 --> 00:25:16,701 In the months after the attack, George and Yeardley 532 00:25:16,868 --> 00:25:18,701 communicated at a distance. 533 00:25:18,868 --> 00:25:21,567 But at one point, they did see each other in person and ended 534 00:25:21,734 --> 00:25:23,067 up in an argument. 535 00:25:23,234 --> 00:25:25,300 Yeardley hit him with her purse, losing her cellphone 536 00:25:25,467 --> 00:25:26,633 in the process. 537 00:25:26,634 --> 00:25:29,701 This led to a series of angry back-and-forth emails, 538 00:25:29,868 --> 00:25:32,400 the worst of which she showed her teammates. 539 00:25:32,567 --> 00:25:34,801 George had messaged her, "This is so [bleep] up, 540 00:25:34,968 --> 00:25:36,701 I should have killed you." 541 00:25:39,167 --> 00:25:42,167 That night, he had booty called three other people. 542 00:25:42,334 --> 00:25:44,100 One didn't answer. 543 00:25:44,267 --> 00:25:45,767 One was spoken for. 544 00:25:45,934 --> 00:25:49,000 And one had a brother in town and said, "Don't come." 545 00:25:49,167 --> 00:25:51,367 So I think he just walked across to go see Yeardley. 546 00:25:52,467 --> 00:25:54,367 This was more than just one drunk night. 547 00:25:56,367 --> 00:25:58,200 She was never going to be able to keep herself safe. 548 00:26:04,601 --> 00:26:07,601 2 That morning, I was driving over UVA. 549 00:26:10,067 --> 00:26:11,868 My roommate was a Charlottesville 550 00:26:12,033 --> 00:26:13,000 police officer. 551 00:26:13,167 --> 00:26:16,601 He called me and he said, "Are you OK?" 552 00:26:16,767 --> 00:26:19,000 I said, "I don't-- what are you talking about?" 553 00:26:19,167 --> 00:26:21,367 He's like, "I'm on my way back, but like, 554 00:26:22,300 --> 00:26:23,367 Yeardley was murdered." 555 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:26,767 And I remember screaming at him. 556 00:26:28,100 --> 00:26:29,167 It was 5:45 in the morning. 557 00:26:29,334 --> 00:26:31,067 I had three young kids, and we were 558 00:26:31,234 --> 00:26:33,200 emptying the dishwasher, and the phone rang. 559 00:26:35,033 --> 00:26:37,367 It was my administrator on the other end who had told me 560 00:26:37,534 --> 00:26:40,167 that there was an accident that involved Yeardley. 561 00:26:40,334 --> 00:26:41,767 Someone has taken her life. 562 00:26:43,567 --> 00:26:45,167 I was in New York. 563 00:26:45,334 --> 00:26:48,868 I remember getting a call walking down the street from 564 00:26:49,033 --> 00:26:51,367 a friend of ours who was a police officer, 565 00:26:51,534 --> 00:26:55,000 and obviously devastating, but mostly disbelief. 566 00:26:56,167 --> 00:26:58,567 Then the police officer got on the phone and said, 567 00:26:58,734 --> 00:27:00,400 "Do you know anyone that would want to hurt Yeardley?" 568 00:27:00,567 --> 00:27:01,701 And I said-- I'm like, no. 569 00:27:01,868 --> 00:27:03,100 Literally everybody loved Yeardley. 570 00:27:03,267 --> 00:27:05,200 And the police officer said, "Well, if we can just start 571 00:27:05,367 --> 00:27:08,701 "with a name so that we can start trying to piece together 572 00:27:08,868 --> 00:27:10,567 her last moments and who was maybe there." 573 00:27:10,734 --> 00:27:13,667 And I did say she used to date a jerk named George. 574 00:27:16,067 --> 00:27:17,601 And then the police officer said, 575 00:27:17,767 --> 00:27:19,467 "It's not the first time his name has come up." 576 00:27:23,167 --> 00:27:25,667 The police showed up at my door. 577 00:27:32,801 --> 00:27:34,601 I don't even know what happened after that. 578 00:27:35,868 --> 00:27:37,901 Like you're just frozen in time. 579 00:27:39,167 --> 00:27:40,767 You can't accept what happened, 580 00:27:41,801 --> 00:27:44,000 and you just want to run away from it. 581 00:27:45,701 --> 00:27:48,701 She was just a few weeks away from graduation. 582 00:27:51,167 --> 00:27:52,767 That night, Yeardley stayed home. 583 00:27:52,934 --> 00:27:54,133 She had some papers due. 584 00:27:54,300 --> 00:27:57,300 The other two best friends and roommates, they had gone 585 00:27:57,467 --> 00:28:00,167 out with other friends and came home to let Yeardley 586 00:28:00,334 --> 00:28:01,300 know what she had missed. 587 00:28:01,467 --> 00:28:02,567 Like, "Yeards, I want to wake you up. 588 00:28:02,734 --> 00:28:04,167 I want to tell you all about it." 589 00:28:04,334 --> 00:28:06,167 And so they walked into the room. 590 00:28:09,801 --> 00:28:12,067 So she was face down in the pillows with the covers 591 00:28:12,234 --> 00:28:14,868 back over her, as if she was just sleeping on her stomach. 592 00:28:15,033 --> 00:28:17,267 Her hair was spread across the pillow. 593 00:28:17,434 --> 00:28:19,400 And so she, you know, she goes to wake Yeardley up, 594 00:28:19,567 --> 00:28:21,334 and that's when she saw a lot of blood. 595 00:28:23,801 --> 00:28:25,300 There's nothing that can prepare you 596 00:28:25,467 --> 00:28:27,000 for that or come close. 597 00:28:28,701 --> 00:28:31,400 The police arrive at George's apartment around 7 AM. 598 00:28:31,567 --> 00:28:34,067 and immediately bring him in for questioning. 599 00:28:34,234 --> 00:28:36,868 They quickly find evidence both at his apartment 600 00:28:37,033 --> 00:28:39,267 and at Yeardley's to suspect him for the murder. 601 00:28:41,067 --> 00:28:43,767 There were crushed beer cans in Yeardley's bathroom, 602 00:28:43,934 --> 00:28:45,032 and the toilet seat was up. 603 00:28:45,033 --> 00:28:47,667 So at some point, he must have had two more beers 604 00:28:47,834 --> 00:28:48,834 and used the restroom. 605 00:28:50,267 --> 00:28:52,167 Then he grabbed his passport and his keys, 606 00:28:52,334 --> 00:28:53,601 and he passed out. 607 00:28:53,767 --> 00:28:57,000 So they found him in his apartment, passed out, 608 00:28:57,167 --> 00:28:58,767 with what looked like ready to roll. 609 00:29:19,367 --> 00:29:21,100 It had been rained on and everything else, 610 00:29:21,267 --> 00:29:23,767 but they could bring up a lot. 611 00:29:23,934 --> 00:29:25,167 That's how they got the message 612 00:29:25,334 --> 00:29:26,767 that he wished he had killed her. 613 00:29:27,901 --> 00:29:29,567 And did he confess? 614 00:29:29,734 --> 00:29:30,734 No. 615 00:29:32,667 --> 00:29:35,467 He doesn't remember. He was blackout drunk. 616 00:29:47,801 --> 00:29:52,801 The whole team was shocked and horrified and horribly sad. 617 00:29:52,968 --> 00:29:54,000 Everyone cried his name. 618 00:29:55,667 --> 00:29:56,901 Just this guttural 619 00:29:57,868 --> 00:30:00,467 realization of, "oh, my God, I can't believe he did it." 620 00:30:02,667 --> 00:30:04,567 Like, how did, like, what could we have done? 621 00:30:04,734 --> 00:30:07,667 Like, how did we, how didn't, why didn't we help? 622 00:30:08,667 --> 00:30:11,100 But nobody knew how much she needed our help. 623 00:30:15,701 --> 00:30:18,000 This is a media firestorm at this point. 624 00:30:18,167 --> 00:30:20,367 Yeah, media jumped on it really quickly. 625 00:30:20,534 --> 00:30:22,901 It's now to the latest on that brutal murder case of a student 626 00:30:23,067 --> 00:30:24,200 at the University of Virginia. 627 00:30:24,367 --> 00:30:25,367 Gifted young people had 628 00:30:25,534 --> 00:30:26,601 their whole lives ahead of them. 629 00:30:26,767 --> 00:30:29,167 Now one is dead, the other's accused of first 630 00:30:29,334 --> 00:30:30,466 degree murder. 631 00:30:30,467 --> 00:30:32,667 Violent details are emerging about her relationship 632 00:30:32,834 --> 00:30:34,367 with the on-again, off-again boyfriend 633 00:30:34,534 --> 00:30:35,567 who was charged in her death. 634 00:30:39,767 --> 00:30:41,100 There were press everywhere. 635 00:30:41,267 --> 00:30:43,167 We were trying to avoid them. 636 00:30:43,334 --> 00:30:44,834 We stayed in a hotel room. 637 00:30:46,300 --> 00:30:49,801 So much of that the first day is like burned into my memory. 638 00:30:49,968 --> 00:30:51,801 Sharon Love came a few hours later 639 00:30:51,968 --> 00:30:54,267 and she had never seen me without Yeardley and so 640 00:30:54,434 --> 00:30:56,367 her first question is, "is Yeardley with you?" 641 00:30:57,367 --> 00:30:59,100 And I'm like, 642 00:30:59,267 --> 00:31:00,167 "she's not with me this time. 643 00:31:01,701 --> 00:31:02,701 She's not with me this time." 644 00:31:06,267 --> 00:31:07,801 I would do anything to have her again. 645 00:31:10,267 --> 00:31:13,968 The students gathered and they organized a vigil for Yeardley 646 00:31:14,133 --> 00:31:17,067 and we held it over at the amphitheater and it was 647 00:31:17,234 --> 00:31:18,400 packed, standing room only, 648 00:31:18,567 --> 00:31:20,400 people, thousands of people came out. 649 00:31:20,567 --> 00:31:23,501 It was shoulder to shoulder all the way up to the buildings 650 00:31:23,667 --> 00:31:24,767 and all around us. 651 00:31:24,934 --> 00:31:27,367 So it was the student outpouring and support was 652 00:31:27,534 --> 00:31:28,767 pretty amazing. 653 00:31:28,934 --> 00:31:30,367 It was a lot of sadness 654 00:31:30,534 --> 00:31:32,501 and a lot of grief and a lot 655 00:31:33,868 --> 00:31:38,100 for 18 to 22-year-olds to take on, let alone their parents 656 00:31:38,267 --> 00:31:40,000 and the coaching staff and the community. 657 00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:47,000 Her dad had come to Virginia and had not graduated. 658 00:31:47,167 --> 00:31:48,567 He was pulled out of college 659 00:31:48,734 --> 00:31:50,200 to war, he never finished. 660 00:31:51,601 --> 00:31:53,767 In high school, as her dad's starting to get sick, 661 00:31:53,934 --> 00:31:56,868 she's like, "Dad, I'm going to go to Virginia, and I'm going 662 00:31:57,033 --> 00:32:00,367 to graduate for both of us." And then he passes away. 663 00:32:00,534 --> 00:32:02,968 On a lacrosse ball, she writes, you know, 664 00:32:03,133 --> 00:32:05,167 "I'll graduate from Virginia for both of us" and puts it 665 00:32:05,334 --> 00:32:06,300 in the casket. 666 00:32:09,868 --> 00:32:10,901 Yeardley did get a degree. 667 00:32:13,367 --> 00:32:15,167 The university did call her name. 668 00:32:17,567 --> 00:32:20,767 My niece accepted the diploma for her. 669 00:32:20,934 --> 00:32:23,100 - That's beautiful. - Yeah. 670 00:32:29,467 --> 00:32:31,767 You can't comprehend it, 671 00:32:31,934 --> 00:32:34,367 and you don't want to comprehend it. 672 00:32:34,534 --> 00:32:36,868 For months, you don't comprehend it. 673 00:32:37,033 --> 00:32:41,267 Like when Caitlin and Katie would walk in the door, I would 674 00:32:41,434 --> 00:32:45,100 keep watching the door thinking Yeardley would be behind them, 675 00:32:45,267 --> 00:32:48,701 and I knew she wouldn't, but there's a gap in time 676 00:32:48,868 --> 00:32:51,367 between reality and what you think. 677 00:32:56,167 --> 00:32:58,634 Then the trial didn't start for two years. 678 00:33:01,167 --> 00:33:03,200 My biggest fear was... 679 00:33:05,601 --> 00:33:07,033 anything can happen. 680 00:33:07,968 --> 00:33:10,667 He had stayed in jail from the moment that they found him 681 00:33:10,834 --> 00:33:11,767 that morning. 682 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:16,467 But the trial was eye-opening. 683 00:33:21,701 --> 00:33:24,367 2 With the police interrogation as a key piece of evidence, 684 00:33:24,534 --> 00:33:25,466 the trial put together 685 00:33:25,467 --> 00:33:27,367 a picture of what happened that night. 686 00:33:28,667 --> 00:33:31,000 After a day of heavy drinking, George entered Yeardley's 687 00:33:31,167 --> 00:33:32,667 apartment through an unlocked front door. 688 00:33:34,167 --> 00:33:36,000 When he got to her room, she wouldn't let him in. 689 00:33:37,868 --> 00:33:40,767 So in a drunken rage, he kicked in the bedroom door. 690 00:33:49,167 --> 00:33:51,100 What happened last night, George? 691 00:33:51,267 --> 00:33:53,567 I mean, well, she was screaming when I first, like... 692 00:33:59,601 --> 00:34:01,968 And then a physical altercation ensued. 693 00:34:02,133 --> 00:34:03,667 George tried to downplay it. 694 00:34:50,667 --> 00:34:53,100 He hit her head against the wall, possibly 695 00:34:53,267 --> 00:34:54,567 multiple times. I don't know. 696 00:34:55,868 --> 00:34:57,033 And that's what killed her. 697 00:34:57,868 --> 00:35:00,467 Technically, he had broken her neck, so she was left 698 00:35:00,634 --> 00:35:02,701 paralyzed and suffocated in the pillows. 699 00:35:34,367 --> 00:35:35,300 How long was the trial? 700 00:35:36,467 --> 00:35:37,868 Maybe a week. 701 00:35:38,033 --> 00:35:41,367 They tried to say it was an accident, so it would have 702 00:35:41,534 --> 00:35:42,868 been manslaughter. 703 00:35:43,033 --> 00:35:44,767 But I remember asking the DA 704 00:35:44,934 --> 00:35:47,100 if there was a death penalty for something like this. 705 00:35:51,367 --> 00:35:54,367 George was ultimately tried for second-degree murder 706 00:35:54,534 --> 00:35:58,267 because being drunk can be part of an excuse. 707 00:35:58,434 --> 00:36:01,200 The attorneys weren't willing to run the risk because of this 708 00:36:01,367 --> 00:36:02,533 history with alcohol. 709 00:36:02,534 --> 00:36:06,467 It's a legal defense in some states, which is crazy. 710 00:36:06,634 --> 00:36:08,467 Did you think there was a chance he would get off? 711 00:36:08,634 --> 00:36:10,601 That's always on the back of your mind. 712 00:36:10,767 --> 00:36:12,167 Anything can happen. 713 00:36:13,067 --> 00:36:15,567 After a week long trial, the jury deliberates before 714 00:36:15,734 --> 00:36:18,167 handing down the verdict of guilty for second-degree 715 00:36:18,334 --> 00:36:21,067 murder, along with a 23 year sentence. 716 00:36:23,267 --> 00:36:26,367 I was glad he was going to prison, but there wasn't 717 00:36:26,534 --> 00:36:28,601 anything that was going to bring Yeardley back. 718 00:36:30,467 --> 00:36:33,467 Do you feel like his sentence was appropriate? 719 00:36:33,634 --> 00:36:35,601 23 years seemed short. 720 00:36:35,767 --> 00:36:37,701 He'll probably have to serve 20 years. 721 00:36:37,868 --> 00:36:41,667 So in the next three-and-a-half years or so, he'll be out. 722 00:36:44,100 --> 00:36:47,367 I think the hardest part for me to still grasp is that, when 723 00:36:47,534 --> 00:36:50,400 you're walking around campus, or you're on the grounds, or on 724 00:36:50,567 --> 00:36:53,667 the corner, or in any city as a woman, you're concerned 725 00:36:53,834 --> 00:36:55,300 about your safety. 726 00:36:55,467 --> 00:36:57,300 But when you get home and you lock the door you feel safe. 727 00:36:57,467 --> 00:37:02,601 The fact that he knocked down her door, and did what he did, 728 00:37:02,767 --> 00:37:07,167 and then put her back in bed, and stole her things is just, so 729 00:37:07,334 --> 00:37:09,267 vile and sick and unfathomable. 730 00:37:09,434 --> 00:37:10,367 I still... 731 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,200 I still can't. 732 00:37:15,367 --> 00:37:17,667 She's so full of life that I think it's hard to picture 733 00:37:17,834 --> 00:37:18,767 her not alive. 734 00:37:24,767 --> 00:37:26,501 16 years later, it's still so raw. 735 00:37:26,667 --> 00:37:29,667 But I think it was important for us to try to find our way. 736 00:37:31,100 --> 00:37:33,667 I really didn't consider Yeardley a victim of 737 00:37:33,834 --> 00:37:35,066 domestic violence. 738 00:37:35,067 --> 00:37:39,267 And then I was shocked to find out 16 to 24-year-olds are 739 00:37:39,434 --> 00:37:40,501 the most vulnerable. 740 00:37:40,667 --> 00:37:44,501 So it gradually sunk in that, yes, this was 741 00:37:44,667 --> 00:37:46,000 domestic violence. 742 00:37:46,167 --> 00:37:49,767 George abused alcohol, but nobody picked up on any 743 00:37:49,934 --> 00:37:51,701 signs that he was abusive. 744 00:37:51,868 --> 00:37:55,100 With education, maybe that would have been a red flag. 745 00:37:56,167 --> 00:37:59,667 That's basically why we started the One Love Foundation, 746 00:37:59,834 --> 00:38:00,968 for an awareness. - Mm-hmm. 747 00:38:02,100 --> 00:38:03,667 Yeardley's jersey number was one. 748 00:38:03,834 --> 00:38:06,300 And then, of course, with her last name, it just was 749 00:38:06,467 --> 00:38:07,834 a perfect combination. 750 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:12,567 That was the birth of One Love, and we've been building 751 00:38:12,734 --> 00:38:16,067 the plane while we're flying it for 15 years now. 752 00:38:17,100 --> 00:38:19,868 We've educated over 3 million people. 753 00:38:20,033 --> 00:38:23,767 Thank God for something so amazingly positive and powerful 754 00:38:23,934 --> 00:38:26,601 to come out of such profound, unimaginable loss. 755 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:30,501 Have you guys ever heard of Yeardley Love? 756 00:38:30,667 --> 00:38:31,567 - Yeardley Love? - Yeah. 757 00:38:31,734 --> 00:38:32,667 Yes. 758 00:38:32,834 --> 00:38:34,501 Like, right when I got here, basically. 759 00:38:34,667 --> 00:38:36,767 I, like, saw, like, the One Love Foundation. 760 00:38:36,934 --> 00:38:39,267 They did, like, domestic violence training at 761 00:38:39,434 --> 00:38:40,733 my high school. 762 00:38:40,734 --> 00:38:42,667 By understanding what happened, we can learn 763 00:38:42,834 --> 00:38:45,167 how to prevent this tragedy from repeating. 764 00:38:45,334 --> 00:38:48,000 I think that it's a valuable lesson for anyone, really, 765 00:38:48,167 --> 00:38:50,701 not just women, to learn. - Yeah, absolutely. 766 00:38:50,868 --> 00:38:53,100 Yeah, everyone can be in a dangerous situation. 767 00:38:53,267 --> 00:38:55,868 It really made me aware of something that I hadn't had 768 00:38:56,033 --> 00:38:57,467 experience with before. 769 00:38:57,634 --> 00:38:59,968 A reminder to teach our children that love 770 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:01,467 doesn't hurt. 771 00:39:01,634 --> 00:39:03,701 I think it's just, like, important for all of us 772 00:39:03,868 --> 00:39:06,601 to, like, look out for our friends, and it was good 773 00:39:06,767 --> 00:39:09,100 for us to know the signs and learn about her story, 774 00:39:09,267 --> 00:39:12,534 so we're just more apt to be able to see that. 775 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,567 I am disappointed that I didn't know more. 776 00:39:17,734 --> 00:39:19,100 But I also am graceful. 777 00:39:19,267 --> 00:39:20,334 I understand why I didn't know more. 778 00:39:20,501 --> 00:39:22,567 People just didn't talk about things like this. 779 00:39:22,734 --> 00:39:24,567 We are trying to end intimate partner violence, 780 00:39:24,734 --> 00:39:27,467 but the best way to do that is to teach kids, "This is what 781 00:39:27,634 --> 00:39:30,067 healthy looks like, and this is what unhealthy looks like." 782 00:39:30,234 --> 00:39:33,701 Do you think Yeardley would be amazed by the lives that have 783 00:39:33,868 --> 00:39:36,267 been saved in her honor and in her memory? 784 00:39:36,434 --> 00:39:37,367 It comes back to... 785 00:39:39,467 --> 00:39:40,767 you wish it never happened, right? 786 00:39:41,901 --> 00:39:43,200 You wish we didn't get to the point. 787 00:39:45,367 --> 00:39:47,267 Or you would think that she would be happy about 788 00:39:47,434 --> 00:39:50,567 something because of this tragedy. 789 00:39:50,734 --> 00:39:51,968 Sorry. 790 00:39:53,968 --> 00:39:57,434 I wish it wasn't a thing. But yeah, I gotta think that... 791 00:39:59,901 --> 00:40:03,167 she'd be happy that something positive has come from it. 792 00:40:03,334 --> 00:40:06,167 We've come a long way. We've learned a lot. 793 00:40:06,334 --> 00:40:08,000 I think of the "People" magazine cover. 794 00:40:08,167 --> 00:40:09,667 The caption was, "Could she have been saved?" 795 00:40:09,834 --> 00:40:11,701 And I remember being, like, horrified. 796 00:40:11,868 --> 00:40:14,667 But I would say if I was more aware and educated, I do think 797 00:40:14,834 --> 00:40:17,200 we certainly could have saved her. 798 00:40:17,367 --> 00:40:20,100 You've been through so much, and you still have a smile. 799 00:40:20,267 --> 00:40:22,267 It's the only way that you can cope, right? 800 00:40:22,434 --> 00:40:23,968 Yeah, I think you've got to grab 801 00:40:24,133 --> 00:40:27,267 the good part of life. If you hang on to the bad, 802 00:40:29,100 --> 00:40:30,901 it rns your own life. 803 00:40:31,067 --> 00:40:34,767 You'll never forget the bad, but don't make it control 804 00:40:34,934 --> 00:40:36,132 your life. 805 00:40:36,133 --> 00:40:38,767 You control your life with the good things that it has 806 00:40:38,934 --> 00:40:40,400 to offer. 807 00:40:42,467 --> 00:40:45,868 To share Yeardley's story is such an honor because she was 808 00:40:46,033 --> 00:40:47,667 a little kid. She was 22. 809 00:40:49,367 --> 00:40:51,467 She was here so short because she was supposed to do 810 00:40:51,634 --> 00:40:52,667 much more. 811 00:40:52,834 --> 00:40:56,100 22 years, she did all she could. 812 00:40:56,267 --> 00:40:59,501 But what she's going to do forever is so much bigger. 813 00:41:10,868 --> 00:41:13,667 Why is she lying, why is she making this stuff up? 814 00:41:13,834 --> 00:41:16,601 Why is she doing this? 815 00:41:16,767 --> 00:41:21,100 She wanted people to hate him as much as she did. 816 00:41:21,267 --> 00:41:23,767 She knew how to manipulate the system, 817 00:41:23,934 --> 00:41:26,067 and it was just falling like cards, 818 00:41:26,234 --> 00:41:28,167 Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun. 819 00:41:28,334 --> 00:41:30,000 There's no coming back from that.