. >> reporter: local attorney scott goodman said quagliana likely represented the next witnesses. george huguely is charged with killing yeardley love after breaking a hole in her bedroom door in may of 2010. his defense team said love died from suffocation, not blunt force trauma. on wednesday the defense called an expert on brain pathology who supported the defense's claim. >> that will be their role. >> reporter: leets mas will attempted to explain the bleeding by saying cpr could have caused it. the processtor said -- prosecutor said can you cite the jury to a single study and the doctor said probably not. >> he knew that the defense would have a witness who who testify that the cause of death was not blunt force trauma in hissen. of course, mr. chapman believes otherwise and believes any doctor who would say such a thing is not worthy of being call lad doctor. >> reporter: testimony in the murder trial of george huguely will resume at 9:00 tomorrow morning. that is if both of his attorneys are ready to go. >> and abc2 news is covering the trial all the way until we get a verd

scott goodman says it breaks the prosecution's narrative but shouldn't hurt their case. >> the commonwealth will say that meant nothing. the first opportunity he had to be alone with yeardly love, he killed her. >> reporter: huguely's defense attorneying are attempting to show may 2nd, huguely went to her apartment to talk with her. common wealth attorneying a that once he broke through the door, he set a chain of events that led to her death and is enough to bring a conviction on the chag of fist degree murder. >> they have to argue any impromer in at the present time to commit larssey or assault happened after he got in to the room. because of all the delays , there is an un usual saturday session for george huguely's trial at 9:00 #mty/ftrtomorro provided the attorney is feeling better. p we have an entire web page dedicated to the trial including a live twitter feed, follow what christian has to say about what is happening in court. head to abc2news.com/love murder. >>> the latest from baltimore, students had to evacuate the high school after a strange snell smell in the buildi

scott goodman is a prominent local attorney. >> it's by far the longest, most sensational, notorious case that's ever happened in charlottesville. >> reporter: he faces life in prison if he's convicted. they need to prove premeditation. they've introduced a threatening e-mail sent two days before the beating. testimony from another lacrosse player and love's bedroom door allegedly kicked in by huguely the night of their confrontation. >> hours later she's dead. yes, the e-mail he said he was going to do that to her and it happened, strong, powerful evidence. >> reporter: virginia's laws regarding premeditation are tough. it's why defense attorneys keep reminding jurors that huguely was drunk. it's resulted in lesser convictions in other cases. >> this is a classic heat of passion manslaughter-type killing that is by rage and being mad and angry in the course of a relationship. >> reporter: throughout the course of the trial, the defense attorneys have been trying to argue that love's brain injuries could have been caused by cpr. both of the doctors said that was simply not possible.

scott goodman has been following the trial closely, he says during closing arguments on saturday, prosecutor dave chapman seemed to be asking for felony murder, murder in the commission of a robbery, in this case of the laptop computer or second degree murder for second degree. the prosecution did not have the prove huguely intended to kill love, only that he committed a wrongful act against her. chapman said 25 wounds on love's body are evidence of malice. whatever the jurors decide, it has to be unanimous. >> to get people to vote the same way could take considerable time. >> reporter: there could be witnesses called and more testimony and the jury will decide the sentence if convicted of first degree, felony murder or robbery, he could face a life sentence. christian schaffer, abc2 news. >>> a car was hit by a school bus yesterday in ellicott city. no students were on the bus. the driver wasn't hurt. a juvenile driver is not being identified. >>> this video from mc dunna and star circle will give you pause. the engines and the tires separated from a car. the silver chrysler driven by a 22

. >> reporter: scott goodman has been following the trial. he says during closing arguments prosecutor seemed to be asking for either felony murder, murder in the commission of robbery, or second-degree murder. the prosecution did not have to prove that hughly intended to kill yardly love, only that he committed a wrongful act against her. in his closing argument chapman said the nearly 25 wounds are evidence of malice. >> that's why there was such contention on the part of both sides as to what wounds were inflicted by the defendant and which wounds may have been inflicted by the cpr. >> reporter: the jury will not be allowed to review testimony but they'll be allowed to see exhibits. >> all the pictures, all the photographers, the video tape of george speaking with the officers and of course all the text messages, all the e-mails, the letters, all of that. >> reporter: that's why goodman says deliberations could take hours or longer. whatever they decide it'd have to be unanimous. >> to get 12 people to vote the same way could take a consid

scott goodman predicts it won't work. >> the defendant asked for the jury and the judge's normal response is you'll get what you asked for. >> reporter: however, virginia has what's known as a truth and sentencing law. there's no parole but all sentences are cut down to 85% of the total. so his actual sentence would be about 22 years, minus the nearly two he's served. he's 24 right now and could be out of prison by about age 45. christian schaefer, abc 2 news. >>> we start in washington state where a trooper was killed on a traffic stop. he didn't respond to dispatchers. sheriff's deputies found him shot next to his patrol car. police tracked down the suspect who shot himself as swat teams were closing in on him. >>> remember that man who let his 9-year-old daughter drive because he was too drunk to drive? he found just how much it would cost him. sean wheeler was sentenced to two years probation and must comply with drug and alcohol testing. during his sentencing, he apologized to the judge for all the trouble he caused. >>> the military is saying the cause of a deadly helicopter crash i

scott goodman who has no connection said defense lawyers said hugely will plead guilty.is before anything. that's the first thing. >> reporter: the trial is expected to last two weeks but it could take longer if jury selection goes past two days in court the defense team is expected to argue that love died accidentally from a irregular heartbeat partly caused by prescription drugs and alcohol. the state has said love died from head injuries. >> we don't know the full testimony of any defense experts, regarding the cause of death. >> reporter: we don't know what was said in e-mails exchanged between love and hugely in the days leading up to her death. they were found on her laptop that hugely allegedly stole. >> all these are possible surprises or pieces of evidence that we aren't aware of now. >> reporter: one thing is certain love's mother and sister will be the first to testify following love's death they created a foundation in her memory called one love which is working to build a turf field at her school, notre dame prep in townsend. now they will work to get her ju

. >> john goodman, not the actor, two years ago while drunk he ran a stop sign and killed scott wilson. goodman checked himself into the four seasons waiting to be arrested. to protect his assets, goodman adopted his girlfriend, heather hutch shins -- hutchens has his daughter. by transferring it to his daughter before the trial it is safe and cannot be touched. >> here she become as beneficiary and now that he is is -- she is 42 is entitled to it. it's either bream yant or a crazy stunt. >> reporter: good man's lawyer said it was designed for estate planning and to guarantee his children's future not to shield his trial from a lawsuit. his trial starts in march. goodman hit wilson so hard that the car landed in a canal and began sinking. >>> around the nation tonight a daycare bus crash sent one person to the hospital. luckily there were no children on the bus. police are investigating but police said the bus driver was not at fault. >>> the dpefer mom who left her two toddlers in a van recently is out of the hospital. sara hatfield claims she has in idea how she ended 12 miles away f

scott goodman is a prominent local attorney. >> it is by far, the most sensational case in charlottesville. >> reporter: he faces life in prison if convicted of first- degree murder. for that to happen, prosecutors have to prove intent. testimony from another lacrosse player who said he had an affair with love, then saw huguely choking love in a jealous rage. then love's door, allegedly kicked in by huguy the night of their confrontation. >> hours later, she was dead. and there is no evidence anyone else was in the room. so yes, the e-mail he said he was going to do that and the fact that it happened, very good evidence. >> reporter: defense attorneys keep reminding jurors that huguely was drunk, a strategy that has resulted in lesser convictions in other cases. >> this was the typical heat of passion manslaughter case. it was angry in the course of a relationship. which is also a manslaughter case. >> defense attorneys are trying toking toking our -- argue that love's brain injuries could have been done by cpr. but today, both of the doctors on the stand said that was simply not possible.

scott goodman is a prominent attorney. >> by far, the most sensational, notorious case that has ever happened in charlottesville. 1kwr50z love's ex-boyfriend is being tried for first-degree murder. for that, they must introduce premeditation. for that, they've introduced an e-mail. another student testified to seeing huguely choking love. >> hours later issue she's dead. there's no evidence anybody else was ever in the room. so yes, the e-mail that he was going to do that and the fact that it happened, very powerful evidence. >> reporter: but virginia's laws, regarding premeditation are tough. it's why defense attorneys keep reminding jurors that huguely was drunk. a strategy that has ended up in lesser convictions in the past. >> this is something that is a crime of passion. it often results in a manslaughter conviction. >> reporter: now, one setback for defense attorneys inside the courtroom this afternoon, throughout the course of this trial, they have been trying to argue that love's brain injuries could have been caused by cpr, when paramedics first responded on the scene. well,

. >> legal expert scott goodman on reading the jury. >> it is very difficult to read the faces of the juror. the jurors all have that poker face on them. they don't betray their emotions. >> reporter: defense attorneys argue their client didn't mean to kill yeardley love. and they hope jurors come back with a manslaughter conviction. they claim huguely was obviously shocked to find out love died during a police confession. they also called this doctor to cast a shadow of doubt over the cause of death. >> and again, how do you think she died? >> oxygen deprivation. >> reporter: now, jurors have to wade through testimony of 50 witnesses, deciding if huguely will die in prison or get a second chance later in life. >> reporter: these questions from the jury have really been all over the place. not really a good indicator of which way they might be leaning. one of the first things they wanted to see was the videotaped police confession. they wanted to watch that again. ask later in the afternoon, they wanted to see a copy of the letter george huguely wrote to love two months before her dea

. >> attorney scott goodman who practiced law in charlottesville for 34 years says the testimony hurtsly was way too drunk to plot a murder. >> shows he was aware he had done something wrong, had something to hide and had the ability to form that presence of mind to say it. >> teammates say huguely had been drinking all day during a father-son golf tournament. one saw him with a beer in hand about 11:00 a.m. by that night, another said he was sloppy, incoherent. not speaking properly. he was later seen pooeing on the side of a building. this kind of behavior was by now a regular occurrence. behavior that led to abuse and as many asking how it could take place between two successful well-educated young people. experts in domestic violence are not surprised. >> it can happen to people of all ages, people of all walks of life. if you live in the inner city or if you live in a very privileged background, it really doesn't matter. you could be a victim of this crime. >> tragically, friends of the couple say they considered an intervention. even on that last night. but it never came. >> we'v

international polo club founder john goodman ran a stop sign while riding his bentley, hitting and killing wilson. new, the attorney representing wilson's family, scottsaid goodman legally adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend, heather hutchins, to shield his assets in a wrongful death suit. the plaintiffs were notified that mr. goodman completed an adult adoption of the woman. the adoption was finalized on october 13th, 2011, in dade county. the records state the defend effectively diverted a significant portion of the assets of a children's trust to a person whom he is intimately involved at a time when his personal assets are largely at risk. it remains unclear whether she will be recognized as a legitimate beneficiary. they were not available for comment. goodman is charged with dui manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and leaving the scene of a crash. he's due to appear in court on march 6th. valerie boy, fox 35 news. >>> thank you for joining us at 5. the news edge at 6 starts now. >>> newt gingrich gets dissed by the donald. as trump pulls a last-minute switcha radio with his endorse -- switch-a-roo endorsement, a campaign trail surprise. trump was

goodman to protect his assets. a legal suit by the family of scott wilson, he is -- there's a legal suit now. t while driving drunk. then police say he left the scene as wilson drowned in a drainage ditch. the billionaire is headed to trial on a manslaughter charge in march. all right. whew. that's a lot. unbelievable. cnn's legal analyst sunny hostin is on the case. many people didn't know that you can actually adopt an adult, someone you're dating, a girlfriend. >> that's right. it's sort of the underbelly of family law. it's been going on for quite some time as an estate planning tool. i will tell you this though, don. it's illegal in about half of our states to adopt an adult. clearly it's not illegal in florida. even in those states that allow adult adoption, there are really, really strong restrictions, but it is -- i think this case in particular has sort of brought it to the forefront. it's been used for many years, some lawyers that i spoke to today by same-sex couples that weren't allowed to marry. so it was a way to be able to bequeath their goods to their partner. it's also been us

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goodman make his 42-year-old girlfriend heather his daughter. facing 35 years behind bars and a massive civil suit he's accused of killing scott wilson while he the behind the wheel drunk. the victim's family claims goodman used a legal loophole to keep them away from his estate in a civil suit. i have never seen anything like this in all my lovein life. the civil suit is going to trial and the criminal case is going forward. they tried to say can we tap into his children's trust in a civil suit and the judge said no, you may not. suddenly he gets the brilliant idea to adopt his girlfriend. how does that work? >> what he's trying to do -- it's such a blatant fraud on the court to divert his assets. he's trying to say my daughter/girlfriend is entitled to one-third of that trust. by the way, it was set up for his minor children. so she can start taking that money out right now. ergo i get that money. this is not going to fly it's an absolute fraud on the court. megyn: the court says this borders on the surreal and takes the court into a legal twilight zone. the court ruled those trust funds for the children could not be touched in a civil suit. do

goodman walked away from the scene of the collision. and didn't call 911 for 54 minutes. that's been especially painful for scott wilson's family. cal examiner says the 23-year-old did not die in the crash. rather, he drowned in the upside-down car. >> there should have been an attempt by mr. goodman to try to save him. >> goodman, whose family earned their wealth in the air conditioning business, is known worldwide for the famed international polo club in wellington that he built. his net worth is a secret. but his father sold the family company eight years ago, for $1.4 billion. now that goodman's girlfriend is his daughter, she's immediately entitled to a third of his money. the other two thirds belong to his two biological children. >> as weird as it may seem, as odd as it may seem, it does look as though this is perfectly legal. >> goodman has said he is going to fight these drunk driving charges. he's pled not guilty. and will face the criminal charges next month. now we reached out to his attorneys to see if they would comment on this adoption twist. and they did not return our calls. and ann, if you're wondering now, if h

the case of wellington polo magnet by the name of john goodman who was charged with dui manslaughter in the death of a 24-year-old by the name of scotttect his estate, he has adopted his girlfriend so that she will manage the estate for his two children. so, you know, avery, you laugh, but apparently there's some real legitimacy in the way in which he adopted the girlfriend to protect the state, right? >> yeah, you think so? you like that? >> that's what legal minds would say. >> maybe as long as there is no lineal -- close blood line goodman can do it. i think it's a fraudulent conveyance. so now the two children of goodman, the two children, you know, muffy and biff, or whatever their names are will now have to share the children's trust with the girlfriend, who is 42 years old. it's a technicality. i think it's terribly creepy, but i think she's going to get away with it. >> richard? >> i do not think she's going to get away with it. i agree with avery. i think it is a fraudulent conveyance. when you're faced with a big money judgment, fred, or someone has a judgment against you, the law says you cannot hide your assets. this trus

trial for leaj edly killing -- for allegedly killing scott wilson in dui manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. police say a drunken goodmannvertible bentley and slammed into the car driven by the recent college grad, killing him. experts estimate the adoption will net miss much ins almost $9 million -- miss hutchins. and up to $9 million in extra cash the agreement authorizes her to ask for each year. the criminal trial is set to take place march 27 and we are waiting to hear about the challenge from goodman's kids all of which means we'll be hearing and talking about this story for a little while longer. alisyn: it's so bizarre on many different levels. his girlfriend is now his children's sister. >> reporter: correct. alisyn: is there no age limit on adoptions, do we know? >> reporter: that's a good question. i'll have to look into that and get back to you. the criminal case is taking place in one county in florida and the judge says what was granted, the adoption in another county is not his jurisdiction. he can't do anything to change with the other judge decided. so the adoption went through, i'll find out if there a

goodman is trying to keep most of the money for himself, as he faces a dui manslaughter charge for allegedly killing 23-year-old scott >> uh, yes, i just had a wreck. and i um -- um -- my phone was dead and i'm on -- where am i? >> reporter: allegedly smashing his bentley into wilson's hyundai and leaving him to drown. >> i ran down the road to a barn. >> reporter: wilson's family is suing goodman for $100 million. >> are you sure you don't want to say anything to thedown man's family? >> reporter: court documents allege goodman kept the details away from his children who never seemed to like their -- sister. the children kept erasing my information out of his phone and so he had to memorize my number. the attorneys fighting the adoption canvassed the whole country and found only five cases where this happened. all of them thrown out. it was a bold legal gamble. however, probably it will be a losing one. probably. >> all right, matt. thank you. we bring in "gma" leaguen analyst dan abrams. pick up from there. how likely is it that the teens can block this? >> you have a representative for the biological children. goi

scott wilson into a drainage canal and he was drowned. >> hopefully, i'll get justice for my son. a 23-year-old. that's lost his life. >> reporter: goodmant manslaughter trial soon and then face the wilsons in civil court three weeks later. >> let's get more on this now from dan abrams. i saw this strategy described by one lawyer as either awful or brilliant. which do you think? >> it's definitely awful. but it may be brilliant. the lawyer talking to his client saying, i know this is going to sound crazy. i have this idea where -- wait, hold on, you're going adopt your girlfriend. can you imagine that conversation? the reason it may be a little bit brilliant is if it ends up working, great. there's a lot of risks there. the kids' trust was off limits. it's now back on the table because of this maneuver. >> and there's a couple hundred million in there. >> that's right. huge numbers. number go, he's also got a criminal case pending, right? let's assume he's convicted in connection with the criminal case and there's sentencing. judges are human. they don't -- they're supposed to just focus on what was presented in the courtroom. but they'r

goodman is trying to keep most of the money for himself, as he faces a dui manslaughter charge for allegedly killing 23-year-old scottpparent lid skipped to the u.s. under aliases. moving states every couple of years before settling in missouri with his wife and two sons. >> i have a different last name than what i have grown up with. >> reporter: his oldest son said he had no idea. >> he wouldn't do this by choice. he doesn't commit crimes. he's the one that gets me out of trouble. >> reporter: police received an anonymous tip that michael maher might be a fugitive from england. they arrested him when he showed up at the station to free his son. maher told his son they would have to leave again and threaten threatened to kill whoever tipped them off. now he's been held in federal custody and his family is left reeling from the shocking new reality. >> he's only ever done what's good for us. i just -- i don't want anybody to see him in a bad light for something he did 20 years ago. >> it's unclear if maher knew about his situation. his next court appearance held on february 22nd. his son was shocked. >>> another look