Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five firearms charges following the tragedy of University of Virginia football players Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry in November 2022. Devin Chandler was shot and killed on the bus returning from a class trip.

Jones also shot and injured Cavaliers player Mike Hollins. Another UVA student was injured in the shooting.

Per Ben Finley and Denise Lavoie The former UVA student will be sentenced after a four-day trial that begins Feb. 4 in Albemarle County Circuit Court, according to the Associated Press.

Plea deal could result in five life sentences per person Jason Armesto related to Daily Progress.

Jones came to Charlottesville in 2018 after joining the football team but did not play in any games. According to Armesto, Jones was cut due to a pre-existing ankle injury.

He remained a UVA student. On November 13, 2022, Jones participated in a class trip to Washington, D.C. that included football players. Armesto provided further information, in part as follows:

“According to the facts laid out by the prosecution, his time on the team did not match that of any of the victims, and the state found no indication that Jones and the victims knew each other before the day of the shooting.

“The trip to D.C. was organized by an African-American theater class of which the five victims were current or former members. A bus was rented to take them to see the play ‘The Ballad of Emmett Till,’ and since there was room, the professor who organized the trip on the bus hired Jones.” and invited three more people who attended the seminar with him.

According to Armesto, details of the statement read by the prosecution revealed that Jones appeared “happy and excited” before the football players boarded the bus. However, he later became “angry” and remained silent and by himself throughout the trip.

The information also revealed that Jones was clearly targeting football players. According to Armesto, Jones’ messages to an “adult mentor” claimed that the football players had messed with him during the trip, but no evidence was presented in the statement of facts to suggest that this was the case. Jones also texted his mentor saying, “They are not getting off this bus.”

Per Richard Gard related to Virginia MagazineAs the bus pulled up to Culbreath Road on campus, Jones shot and killed Davis, Perry, and Chandler. Another student was injured in the fire. Hollins initially ran away from the bus when gunshots rang out, but returned to help people still on the bus off. However, Jones spotted him and shot Hollins in the back before running away. Police caught Jones the next morning.

Michael Haggard, an attorney representing the families of three of the victims, told Armesto the hope is that Jones, now 25, will receive a life sentence with extremely limited chances for early release. But he also expressed confidence that the judge would keep Jones in prison for life.