ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. — The fate of the man who killed three University of Virginia football players in 2022 is now in the hands of a judge.
After five days of testimony, Judge Cheryl Higgins is deliberating how long Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. will spend in prison.
Jones, 26, pled 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.
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.
Key witness testimony
Survivors and classmates described the moments on the bus: a loud pop, then gunfire as students tried to take cover.
Michael Hollins, a surviving football player, 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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