ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. — The man who killed three University of Virginia football players in 2022 was given the maximum penalty for his crimes on Friday.
After five days of a testimony, Judge Cheryl Higgins handed down five life sentences with an additional 23 years to Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr.
Jones, 26, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony and two counts of aggravated malicious wounding for the Nov. 13, 2022, shooting that killed University of Virginia football players D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler and wounded two other students on a charter bus returning to campus from a class trip to Washington, D.C.
Higgins delivered her decision after an hour of deliberations that followed two hours of closing statements.
She said it was not a "vindictive sentence" but based off a logical analysis and that the "facts do merit a life prison sentence."
Higgins said no one was bullying Jones that night and that he had no basis to perceive anyone on the bus that night as a threat and yet chose to open fire in a dark space and execute people without the slightest pause.
Higgins added that while she agreed that Jones had "distortions in his perception" of reality, it did not interfere with his understanding of his actions.
She said Jones still continued to work, volunteer, and complete classes while having these thoughts.
Higgins said that further proof of his knowledge that what he was going to do was illegal included his texts sent before the shooting the he would either "go to hell or spend 100-plus years in jail." And after he committed the shooting, Higgins pointed to Jones' escape — discarding clothing and the gun and lying to police he ran into five minutes later.
He will be able to apply for parole when he turns 60 years old.
Survivor reacts to verdict
Michael Hollins, a football player who was shot and survived, spoke with media after Jones received his sentence.
"Knowing the man that committed the horrific, horrific murders of my teammates and injured two others — 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 repay or get those lives back, just a little bit of peace knowing that the man that committed those crimes won't be hurting anyone else," Hollins said.
When asked if Hollins accepted Jones's apology, he said "no comment."
Hollins not only testified on the first day of the hearing, but was in the gallery listening to the rest of the testimony and sat next to Happy Perry, the mother of D'Sean, who was Hollins' best friend. He said he wanted to be there to support the families who lost someone and to hear some of the questions that had been unanswered.
"I wanted just the truth to come to light," he said.
Hollins said while the sentencing brings one chapter of their lives to a close, it will never be something they can put behind them.
"Our kids, our kids' kids will hear about the horrific murders and the lasting mental effects that it left on everyone on that bus will be passed to their kids and their families. It's inevitable," said Hollins. "You can't wash away the blood and the gunshot sounds and the gun smoke and the screaming and the yelling. It's there."
Hollins said he has been relying on his faith since the shooting and is now involved in a ministry helping other athletes through their trauma.
"Sounds cliche, but I am led by the Holy Spirit," said Hollins. "What I was reading today was Lamentations 3:21, I believe. And they spoke about God being faithful through it all. God being the utmost supporter, even in our hardships, and that that really gave me the willpower and the fortitude to push through."
What the court heard
Prosecutors urged the judge to impose life sentences, arguing the attack was calculated and the victims posed no threat.
Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney James M. Hingeley told jurors and the court that the community “experienced the terror” of Jones’ actions.
The prosecution’s case included investigators, survivors and family members of the victims who described the chaos on the bus and the long-term impact on families and the UVA community.
Prosecutors played evidence including text messages Jones sent the day of the shooting and a body-worn camera video showing his interaction with a police officer after the attack.
The defense sought a sentence that balances accountability with compassion, presenting testimony about Jones’ abusive childhood, trauma, mental-health decline and character witnesses who said he had been a promising young man before 2022.
The defense asked for an active sentence of 40 years.
When Jones was given a chance to speak, he apologized to the families of the victims and the survivors and said he was ashamed of what he did.
Jones added he had never asked for anything less than a life sentence as he felt he did not deserve anything less. He said that whatever the court gave him is what he needs and hoped that it would be a step towards peace for the victims.
Key witness testimony
Survivors and classmates described the moments on the bus: a loud pop, then gunfire as students tried to take cover.
Hollins testified about being shot while trying to check on a teammate and said the trauma continues to affect him.
Marlee Morgan, also wounded, described the lasting physical and psychological effects and urged that people make choices that do not cause harm.
Family members of the victims delivered emotional statements.
Devin Chandler’s mother, Delayna Chandler, read a statement calling her son “baby boy” and described the family’s ongoing grief.
D’Sean Perry’s mother and sisters described the “onion-like” layers of pain since his death.
For the defense, forensic psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Aaron testified after reviewing records and interviewing Jones and others.
Aaron said Jones’ traumatic childhood and subsequent substance use and mental‑health decline produced “exceedingly distorted” perceptions of reality that, in Aaron’s view, impaired Jones’ ability to determine what was real the night of the shooting.
He said Jones told him that he thought the football players were on the bus to cause him harm and went back to his dorm to get his gun when he saw them.
Prosecution rebuttal themes
Prosecutors stressed that many with childhood trauma do not commit violent crimes and highlighted facts they say show planning or rational action: Jones’ texts the day of the trip, evidence of firearm possession and social-media material prosecutors argued undercut the defense’s portrayal.
Investigators testified about Jones’ flight from the scene, his arrest the next day near his mother’s Henrico County home and evidence recovered by police.
Background and context
Jones, a former UVA football player, transferred to UVA after attending high school in Petersburg.
Defense witnesses painted a portrait of a young man who worked multiple jobs to support family, was active in school and had mentors who saw promise in him.
Prosecutors countered with testimony and documents indicating drug involvement, prior arrests and weapons purchases investigators tied to Jones in the months before the shooting.
Timeline
Nov. 13, 2022 — Bus returns to UVA from Washington, D.C.; shooting occurs; three students killed, two wounded.
Nov. 14, 2022 — Jones arrested in Henrico County, near his mother’s home.
Nov. 2024 — Jones pleads guilty to multiple counts, including three counts of first-degree murder.
Nov. 17–20, 2025 — Sentencing hearing held; testimony from survivors, family members, character witnesses and experts; defense rested Nov. 20
Jones faced a mandatory minimum of 23 years on the firearms counts; sentencing guidelines previously cited ranged from roughly 32 years, 8 months at the low end to 54 years, 5 months at the high end; prosecutors sought life sentences for the murder counts.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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