Odds favor 26 years for former athlete

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - When former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely V is sentenced for the slaying of his ex-girlfriend, the odds are a judge will heed a jury's recommended 26-year sentence and Huguely will serve his time in a state prison without the prospect of parole.

The 24-year-old defendant, however, could hasten his release if he is a model inmate.

Huguely will appear Thursday before Charlottesville Circuit Judge Edward Hogshire to be sentenced for second-degree murder in the beating death of Yeardley Love in May 2010. The suburban Baltimore woman was a member of U.Va. women's lacrosse team.

Jurors who convicted the Chevy Chase, Md., man in February recommended the 26-year sentence. Legal experts say it is rare in Virginia for judges to stray from a jury's recommendations.