A former University of Virginia student pleaded guilty Wednesday to fatally shooting three football players and injuring two other students on campus in 2022.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 25, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and five counts of use of a firearm in a felony.
A four-day sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 4 in Albemarle County Circuit Court.
Prosecutors read in court Wednesday a summary of what they say happened the day of the shooting, including horrifying details that had not been made public.
Jones, who was on the bus hours before the shooting, said in an email to an adult leader she had known for several years. We apologize for the inconvenience,” the summary says.
The Associated Press obtained a draft summary.
Jones was scheduled to go on trial in January on charges including aggravated murder, which in Virginia requires a life sentence without parole.
The first-degree murder charge he pleaded guilty to in a plea deal with prosecutors carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
Authorities said Jones opened fire on a charter bus as he and other students were returning to campus after seeing a play and having dinner together in Washington, D.C.
The shooting occurred near a parking lot and the Charlottesville campus was locked down for 12 hours until the suspect was arrested.
Many at the school of about 23,000 students huddled in closets or dark dorm rooms, while others barricaded the doors of the university's stately buildings.
The university, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, also withstood a violent “Unite the Right” rally in 2017 that featured hundreds of white supremacists protesting plans to remove Confederate statues.
A car crashed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one person and injuring several others.
Authorities have not revealed a motive for the shooting by Jones, a former member of the university's football team.
Football players LaVelle Davis Jr., De'Sean Perry and Devin Chandler were killed, and a fourth team member, Mike Hollins, and another student, Marley Morgan, were injured.
Jones' time with the team does not overlap with the players he shot, according to prosecutors' draft summary.
And there was no indication that Jones and the players knew or interacted with each other right before the shooting.
Witnesses previously told police that Jones was targeting specific victims.
One student told authorities on the bus ride back to campus that he heard Jones say things like, “I'm sorry if I offended you,” quietly to himself, according to a summary read by prosecutors. . “I didn't mean to offend you” “I've been through a lot in my life” “I don't have any weapons”
Prosecutors said Jones became irritated after the football players arrived at the start of their trip.
Jones also sat alone while watching plays and in the car on the way home.
Prosecutors said the woman, who had previously rejected Jones as a romantic interest, later exchanged phone numbers with Chandler, one of the men killed.
Before the shooting, Jones texted an adult mentor, telling him to “tell me my story.” I am a good person and I did not intend to harm anyone, nor have I ever caused harm to anyone,” the prosecutor said.
In her final message, Jones typed: “They're not getting off this bus.”
Prosecutors said Jones also texted several family members, including her mother, telling them she loved them.
He also added a siren emoji to tell his brother that something might happen.
During his rampage, Jones “carefully checked each seat until he reached the rear of the bus” and shot some of his victims, according to the summary.
University President Jim Ryan said Jones' guilty plea marks “another step in a long and painful journey for the victim's family and our community.”
“We continue to grieve the loss of three beloved members of our community and the injuries to others on the bus,” Ryan added in a statement.
Within days of the shooting, university leaders asked for external review Examining the school's safety policies and procedures, response to violence, and previous efforts to assess the potential threat of the accused student.
School officials acknowledged that Jones had been on the radar of the university's threat assessment team for some time.
In June, Kimberly Wald, an attorney representing some of the victims and their families, announced that the university had agreed to pay $9 million in settlements.
Wald said the university should have removed Jones from campus before the attack because his erratic and erratic behavior raised multiple red flags.
Attorney Michael Haggard, who represented the families of three of the five shooting victims in the civil suit, said the reason the families initially opposed the plea deal was because Jones could be tried on a possible aggravated murder charge. He said he wanted him to receive the maximum punishment possible. Life without the possibility of parole.
“It's been difficult for them. They would have wanted more, but they're anxiously awaiting this sentence. They want a life sentence,” Haggard said.
Haggard said the family was eager for the independent investigation report to be released, adding: “We wanted a trial to find out more about what happened.”
University officials said they had delayed releasing the report last year over concerns it could affect Jones' trial.
School leaders said in a statement Wednesday that they plan to release him once he is sentenced in February.
