Maximum Sentence for UVA Campus Shooter
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., the perpetrator behind the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of three University of Virginia football players, has been handed the maximum possible penalty for his crimes. Judge Cheryl Higgins delivered the sentence on Friday, imposing five life sentences plus 23 years in prison for the November 2022 murders that shocked the Charlottesville campus community.
Chilling Details of the Attack Emerge
The fatal incident occurred when Jones opened fire aboard a charter bus as students returned from a class field trip to Washington, DC. The victims included UVA football stars Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and De'Sean Perry, who were killed in the attack. Two other students, running back Mike Hollins and track athlete Marlee Morgan, sustained serious injuries but survived.
According to prosecutors who read a summary of events during Jones' plea hearing, disturbing new details about the shooting have come to light. The document revealed that Jones had sent ominous text messages to an adult mentor hours before the attack, stating: 'tonight I'm either going to hell or jail. I'm sorry.'
Even more chilling was his final message: 'they not getting off this bus.'
Survivors and Families Confront the Killer
During the emotional sentencing hearing, both surviving victims provided testimony about the lasting impact of the attack. Mike Hollins, who has since recovered from his bullet wounds and returned to football, spoke alongside family members of the deceased players and the professor who organised the fateful trip.
Witness accounts described how Jones had grown irritable when the football players joined the trip and subsequently sat alone during both the play performance and the return journey. Prosecutors revealed that a woman who had previously rejected Jones romantically had exchanged phone numbers with Chandler, one of the murdered players.
According to a family friend of survivor Mike Hollins, Jones engaged one of the football players in conversation about a video game immediately before pulling out a weapon and beginning his shooting spree. The attacker then methodically checked each seat until he reached the back of the bus to locate additional victims.
Following the sentencing, Hollins addressed reporters outside the courthouse, stating: 'Knowing that he has been given a time and justice has been served for the most part even though that no amount of time on this earth in jail will get those lives back, just a little bit of peace knowing the man that committed those crimes won't be hurting anyone else.'
The shooting triggered a 12-hour lockdown of the University of Virginia campus, with approximately 23,000 students sheltering in closets, darkened dorm rooms, and barricaded academic buildings until Jones was apprehended by authorities.
