The man who pleaded guilty to shooting and killing Virginia football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry three years ago was sentenced to life in prison Friday, following a weeklong sentencing hearing in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Judge Cheryl Higgins sentenced Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. to the maximum allowable penalty of five life sentences, plus 23 years, for the murders of Chandler, Davis and Perry, plus the wounding of running back Mike Hollins and track athlete Marlee Morgan.
Jones opened fire on a charter bus after returning to campus following a class field trip to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2022. Last year, Jones pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Hollins and Morgan were among those who testified during the sentencing hearing, along with members of the players' families, Hollins' mother, the professor who organized the field trip and others on the bus.
Jones offered an apology to the families following closing arguments. According to Cville Right Now, Jones told the courtroom, "I'm so sorry. I caused so much pain."
Several of Jones' family members also testified on his behalf, in addition to friends and a high school mentor. Cville Right Now reported that family members testified Jones had an abusive childhood and mental illness.
After the sentencing, Hollins spoke with reporters outside the courthouse and said, "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."