A former University of Virginia student pleaded guilty Wednesday to fatally shooting three football players and wounding two other students on the campus in 2022.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 25, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. A four-day sentencing hearing is scheduled to open Feb. 4 in Albemarle County Circuit Court.
Prosecutors read a summary in court Wednesday of what they allege happened the day of the shooting, including chilling details not publicly released before.
While riding on the bus in the hours before the shooting, Jones texted an adult mentor he had known for several years and stated, "tonight I'm either going to hell or jail. I'm sorry," according to the summary. The Associated Press obtained a draft copy of the summary.
Jones had been scheduled to stand trial in January on charges including aggravated murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole in Virginia. The first-degree murder charges he pleaded guilty to in a plea agreement with prosecutors carry a sentence of 20 years to life.
