Former student pleads guilty in fatal shooting of three football players in Virginia in 2022

A former University of Virginia student has been charged with killing three football players and wounding two others in an incident 2022 shooting He pleaded guilty to all charges Wednesday and could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr.The 25-year-old was accused of opening fire on a charter bus as he and other students returned from a day trip to Washington, D.C. Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis and D’Sean Perry He was killed and two students were injured.

Jones pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of use of a firearm. He faces a maximum sentence of five life sentences plus 23 years in prison, according to a statement from the university.

Jones was a former member of the Virginia football team in 2018 but did not appear in any games.

He was scheduled to go on trial early next year. He is now scheduled to appear at a four-day sentencing hearing on Feb. 4 in Albemarle County Circuit Court.

“Today was the day we came face to face with the person who MURDERED our son, our daughter’s brother, my grandchild’s uncle, my nephew, my cousin, my friend and my teammate.” Perry’s family said in a statement:. “This is in God’s hands now. … I pray for all the families involved and I pray for all the hearts touched by this terrible tragedy.”

A fourth football player, running back Mike Hollins, was also injured in the attack; as did Marlee Morgan, another student on the trip. They recovered from their wounds and Hollins later returned to play on the football team.

Prosecutors said there was no indication Jones knew the victims before the day of the shooting.

This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Former student pleads guilty to killing 3 UVA football players