Sentencing proceedings began Monday, Nov. 17, for Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., the man responsible for the 2022 University of Virginia shooting that left three students dead—D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler, and Lavel Davis Jr.—and injured Mike Hollins and Marlee Morgan.
Jones previously accepted a plea deal in November, admitting guilt to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, and firearm charges. He faces a minimum of 23 years in prison, though prosecutors urged Judge Cheryl Higgins to impose a harsher sentence.
For many families, Monday marked the first time confronting the shooter in person. Emotional testimony came from grieving mothers, witnesses, and detectives, recounting the tragedy that unfolded during what was supposed to be a routine field trip.
A striking revelation emerged when prosecutors introduced a rap song Jones had posted online a year before the attack, with lyrics eerily resembling the crime—including a verse about killing someone in their sleep. Investigators noted the chilling parallel to Jones fatally shooting Devin Chandler, 20, who was asleep with headphones on the bus.
The day concluded with testimony from Dalayna Chandler, Devin’s mother, who described her son’s promising future and asked that he be remembered for his light rather than defined solely by the violence that claimed his life.
SOURCE: WHSV3