Former UVA Student Sentenced to Life in Prison for Shooting
A former student from the University of Virginia received a life sentence on Friday for the shooting that left three football players dead and two other students injured in 2022.
Judge Cheryl Higgins delivered the maximum sentence to Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who was part of the football team, after five days of testimony in court. Jones had pleaded guilty to the charges last year.
The sentence comprises five life terms for the murders of Devin Chandler, LaBelle Davis Jr., and DeeSean Perry, as well as for the aggravated assaults against Michael Hollins and Marley Morgan.
Officials reported that Jones and other students had just returned to campus after attending a play and dinner in Washington, D.C., when he opened fire on a charter bus.
The attack occurred near a parking lot, prompting a lockdown of the Charlottesville campus for 12 hours until the suspect was apprehended.
During the tense hours, many of the 23,000 students sought refuge in closets or dark dorm rooms, while others barricaded themselves inside the university’s historic buildings.
Interestingly, Jones’ time with the football team did not coincide with the players he shot, and there seemed to be no prior relationship or interaction among them before the incident.
He will be eligible for parole when he turns 60.
Judge Higgins emphasized that no one bullied or threatened Jones that evening.
She pointed out a “distortion of perception and reality” in his actions, noting that just before the shooting, he had sent texts urging people to “go to hell or spend over 100 years in prison.” After the shooting, he disposed of his clothes and weapon and misled police who arrived shortly after.
In the aftermath, university leaders requested an external review of safety policies, procedures, and responses related to violence and the assessment of potential threats posed by Jones, who had previously been on the radar of the university’s threat assessment team.
Last year, the university agreed to pay $9 million in settlements to victims and their families, whose attorneys argued that Jones should have been removed from campus due to concerning behavior that raised several alarms.
During the sentencing, Jones emotionally addressed the court for about 15 minutes, expressing remorse for his actions and the pain inflicted on others. Some family members of the victims walked out during his address.
“I’m really sorry,” Jones stated. “I caused so much pain.”
He added, “I didn’t know your sons. I didn’t know your sons. And I wish I had.”
Meanwhile, Michael Hollins, a student who survived the attack but was injured, shared his thoughts after the verdict, expressing that justice had been served “for the most part.” He reflected on the reality that, regardless of how long Jones remains imprisoned, it would provide some comfort knowing that he cannot harm anyone else.
