Slain Va. lacrosse player awarded posthumous degree; moment of silence held at graduation

Slain Va. lacrosse player gets posthumous degree

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A moment of silence was held at the University of Virginia’s commencement ceremonies and a slain women’s lacrosse player was given a posthumous degree.

Yeardley Love was awarded a bachelor’s degree in politics and government Sunday in a diploma ceremony held by the Department of Politics. Love’s cousin, Lawren McChesney, walked up to accept the diploma.

The ceremony was held about an hour after the main commencement ceremonies for 6,256 university seniors in Charlottesville.

The 22-year-old Love’s battered body was discovered May 3 in her Charlottesville apartment. Police have charged men’s lacrosse player George Huguely with first-degree murder. His attorney has said Love’s “death was not intended, but an accident with a tragic outcome.”