Former Virginia student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr pleads guilty in deadly shooting of three football stars

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a erstwhile University of Virginia student, pleaded blameworthy to first-degree execution this week successful the shooting deaths of 3 UVA shot players.. 

Jones' plea comes aft the 2022 on-campus slayings of Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler. All 3 young men played for the UVA Cavaliers football team. A 4th squad member, Mike Hollins, and different student, Marlee Morgan, suffered injuries.

Jones' stint connected the shot squad overlapped with the players helium shot, per accusation successful the draught transcript of the prosecutors' summary, but determination is nary denotation Jones and the players had a relationship.

Jones faced 3 counts of first-degree murder, 2 counts of aggravated malicious wounding and 5 counts of usage of a firearm successful the committee of a felony. A sentencing proceeding has been acceptable for Feb. 4 and is expected to past for 4 days.

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Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a erstwhile University of Virginia student, entered a blameworthy plea this week successful narration to the shooting deaths of 3 assemblage shot squad members. (AP Newsroom/IMAGN)

While riding backmost to field from a schoolhouse travel connected a charter autobus successful the hours earlier the shooting, Jones texted an big mentor, stating, "tonight I’m either going to hellhole oregon jail. I’m sorry," according to a summary that prosecutors work successful tribunal connected Wednesday. The Associated Press obtained a draught transcript of the summary.

UVA TO PAY $9 MILLION TO FAMILIES OF VICTIMS IN 2022 SHOOTING THAT KILLED 3 FOOTBALL PLAYERS, WOUNDED 2 OTHERS

Jones had been scheduled to basal proceedings successful January connected charges including aggravated murder, which carries a mandatory condemnation of beingness without parole successful Virginia. The first-degree execution charges helium pleaded blameworthy to successful a plea statement with prosecutors transportation a condemnation of 20 years to life.

Authorities said Jones opened occurrence aboard a charter autobus arsenic helium and different students arrived backmost connected field aft seeing a play and having meal unneurotic successful Washington, D.C. 

University of Virginia shot players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and DSean Perry. (University of Virginia athletics)

The shooting erupted adjacent a parking store and prompted a 12-hour lockdown of the Charlottesville field until the fishy was captured. Many astatine the schoolhouse of immoderate 23,000 students huddled wrong closets and darkened dorm rooms, portion others barricaded the doors of the university’s stately world buildings.

During the rampage, Jones "methodically checked each spot until helium reached the backmost of the bus" to sprout immoderate of his victims, the summary said.

Authorities person yet to merchandise details connected the motive successful the shooting by Jones.

University of Virginia students enactment successful a vigil successful effect to shootings connected the Charlottesville campus, Nov. 14, 2022. (Mike Kropf/The Daily Progress via AP)

The university’s president, Jim Ryan, said Jones’ blameworthy plea represents "another measurement successful a lengthy and achy travel for the families of the victims and for our community."

"We proceed to grieve the nonaccomplishment of 3 beloved members of our assemblage and the injuries suffered by others connected the bus," Ryan’s connection added.

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Within days of the shooting, assemblage leaders asked for an extracurricular reappraisal to analyse the school’s information policies and procedures, its effect to the unit and its anterior efforts to measure the imaginable menace of the pupil charged. School officials acknowledged Jones antecedently was connected the radar of the university’s threat-assessment team.

In June, Kimberly Wald, a lawyer representing immoderate of the victims and their families, announced that the assemblage agreed to wage $9 cardinal successful a settlement. Wald said the assemblage should person removed Jones from field earlier the onslaught due to the fact that helium displayed aggregate reddish flags done erratic and unstable behavior.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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