CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- A former University of Virginia student pleaded guilty Wednesday to fatally shooting three football players and wounding two other students on the Charlottesville 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 begin Feb. 4 in Albemarle County Circuit Court. Jones faces a maximum punishment of five life terms plus 23 years, according to a statement from UVA.
Authorities said Jones opened fire on a charter bus as he and other students arrived back on campus after seeing a play and having dinner together in Washington, D.