With gruesome photos still fresh on their minds, jurors will hear more testimony from doctors who examined Yeardley Love, the University of Virginia lacrosse player allegedly killed by an abusive ex-boyfriend.
William Gormley, a Virginia medical examiner, who performed the autopsy on Love said Monday that the combination of bruises and scratches to her face, buttocks, leg, forearm and chest could not have been caused by a single impact, The Washington Post reports.
Her ex-boyfriend, George Huguely, who was a member of the university's men's lacrosse team, told police in a videotaped interview that he "shook her a little" and "may have grabbed her by the neck," but didn't inflict serious harm to her on the night she died in May 2010.
In early morning testimony, neuropathologist Christine Fuller has testified that "blunt force trauma" caused the contusions on Love's brain she found while dissecting the college senior, according to TV station WTVR. She conceded that the head injuries could have been caused by a fall, but it would have to been from a considerable height.
Photos of her bruised corpse were shown yesterday to the jury, attorneys and the judge, but were not publicly available. Her right eye was swollen shut and her face was covered with bruises and scrapes, according to a police report cited by CBS News.
PHOTOS FROM GEORGE HUGUELY FILE:
George Huguely
Jurors were also shown emails between the former couple. The batch of messages weren't shared with the public, but last week prosecutors said Huguely once wrote "I should have killed you" in an email to Love.
With the trial entering its second week yesterday, Gormley said that abrasions on the 22-year-old woman's cheek and bruises to her chin and lip were consistent with smothering, according to ABC News.
However, it was also said that medication can cause bruising, which ties in with the defense's argument that Love died from a reaction to prescription medicine Adderall.
A Charlottesville police officer also took the stand Monday and testified that Huguely's arms were bruised and scraped, according to CBS News.
The witnesses were called to support the prosecutor's claim that Huguely launched into a violent rage in Love's apartment. They contend he kicked open her bedroom door and banged her head against the wall. A roommate found her bleeding facedown on her bed later that night.
The defense has said Huguely's injuries were caused from playing lacrosse, according to ABC News. Previously, Huguely said that Love banged her head against the wall. He's admitted to wrestling with her that night, but said he didn't hit her.