CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - A former University of Virginia lacrosse player faces up to 26 years in prison after his conviction of second-degree murder in the slaying of his former girlfriend amid a swirl of betrayal, distrust and a culture of drinking.

George Huguely V was found guilty of the murder charge Wednesday after a jury deliberated for about nine hours in the May 2010 death of Yeardley Love. He also was convicted of grand larceny.

The 24-year-old defendant from Chevy Chase, Md., could have received a life sentence if convicted of first-degree murder.

The suburban Baltimore woman was found dead in her Charlottesville, Va., apartment of blunt force trauma. She was a U.Va. lacrosse player on the women's team.

Huguely's formal sentencing will likely occur in the summer.