Author: Catie Ratliff

Less than two months before the start of his trial, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and seven additional charges in connection with the November 13, 2022, fatal shooting of three University of Virginia student-athletes on Grounds. New details of the incident emerged during the November 20 hearing at Albemarle County Circuit Court.

As part of the plea agreement, aggravated murder charges—which carry a mandatory sentence of life without parole—for the deaths of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry have been dropped. 

In Virginia, first-degree murder is a class 2 felony, with a sentencing range of 20 years to life imprisonment. While Jones also pleaded guilty to two counts of malicious wounding and five firearms charges, the commonwealth declined to prosecute those seven charges at this time.

The UVA and Charlottesville communities continue to process the information revealed during the plea hearing.

According to a proffer filed by the state, Jones was “excited and happy when he arrived at the bus,” but his mood “turned irritable after the football players arrived.”

There is no indication that Jones knew any of the victims prior to November 13, 2022. While he was briefly on the UVA football roster, his time on the team did not coincide with Chandler, Davis, Perry, or Mike Hollins, who was injured in the shooting.

Most of the people on the bus were current or former students in a theater class on its way to Washington, D.C., to see The Ballad of Emmett Till, but Jones and three other students, who were enrolled in a seminar with the same professor, were invited because there was extra space.

During the ride to D.C., Jones sat alone and texted family members, including a “cryptic message that something might happen today,” sent to his younger brother. He also sat alone at the performance.

The group of students reboarded the bus around 7:30pm to return to Grounds. Witness accounts describe the mood as “jovial,” with people chatting and Chandler playing music over the bus speakers.

Several survivors recall Jones sitting alone and “frequently looking towards the back of the bus.” Earlier in the trip back to Charlottesville he “accused another student of staring at him, but that student chose not to engage with him,” according to the filing. Another student heard Jones speaking to himself, saying things like, “I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to offend you,” “I’ve been through so much in my life,” and “I don’t have any weapons.”

Around 8:19pm, Jones texted an adult mentor and told him to contact a criminal defense attorney who had previously represented Jones. He then wrote, “This entire trip these boys been fcking wit me… tonight I’m either going to hell or jail. I’m sorry.”

The mentor asked Jones to call him, and for his location. Rather than respond, Jones said people were “talkin about killin” and he asked the mentor to “Just tell my story. I was a good guy I never meant or initiated any harm to anyone.”

At 8:36pm, Jones sent his last message: “They not getting off this bus.”

Sitting in front of Jones, Marlee Morgan was seated next to Davis, who called his aunt to talk about the play. Perry called his mom to share his “excitement over seeing his first live play.” Chandler slept.

As the bus approached Culbreth Parking Garage two hours later, students were mostly sleeping and doing homework, with some scattered conversations. Jones and Davis briefly talked about video games.

Jones abruptly said, “Y’all been fucking with me all day,” and shot Davis “through the gap in the seats.” As other students reacted to the sound, Jones and Davis struggled in the aisle of the bus. Jones stood over Davis and shot him in the back of the head after he collapsed. Morgan was shot in the right hip during the struggle.

After shooting Davis, Jones “stalked towards the back of the bus … methodically checked each seat until he reached the back of the bus where [Perry] and [Chandler] were.” He shoved over a female student crouching by Perry, then shot Perry once.

Chandler, who had noise-canceling headphones on, was still asleep when he was shot.

While fleeing the bus, Jones passed the professor, who was trying to evacuate students, and then fell out of the bus to the ground.

Hollins and another football player had been sitting at the front of the bus and already evacuated. When Hollins realized there were still people on the bus, he went back toward the doors. As he approached, Jones exited the bus with a gun in hand. Jones shot Hollins in the back as he ran toward the parking garage for cover.

Police were on scene within minutes of the first 911 calls at 10:16pm. All three victims died from gunshot wounds to the head.

UVA went into lockdown as Jones ran through Grounds toward his car, which was parked at Scott Stadium. He tossed evidence, including a firearm, as he ran. He was arrested the next day in Henrico County.

After the shooting, police found two additional firearms—a semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger AR-15 semi-automatic rifle—in Jones’ dorm.

Though the commonwealth’s proffer offers more insights into the shooting than was previously known, UVA refuses to release the attorney general’s independent report of the incident.

In an emailed statement, UVA Deputy Spokesperson Bethanie Glover told C-VILLE, “The University’s position hasn’t changed, we are committed to release the reports at the conclusion of the criminal proceedings, which will end with sentencing.”

Jones waived his right to appeal and admitted guilt as part of the agreement, but sentencing has been left to the discretion of Judge Cheryl Higgins. Sentencing has been set for February 4 through February 7, 2025, with a pre-sentencing report scheduled for 9:30am the first day.