Sentencing begins for Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. in 2022 UVA shooting

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Sentencing began Monday, Nov. 17, for Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. in the 2022 University of Virginia shooting that killed D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr. and injured Mike Hollins and Marlee Morgan.

Jones faces a minimum of 23 years in prison after accepting a plea agreement last November for three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and charges for using a gun to commit a felony.

For many in the courtroom Monday, it was the first time seeing their loved one’s killer in person. Mourning mothers, witnesses and detectives took the stand to share details of the field trip turned tragic shooting.

The prosecution, led by Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Hingley, asked presiding Judge Cheryl Higgins to go above the minimum sentence.

One of the largest new pieces of information shared was a rap song that the prosecution and Albemarle County detective said was sung and published online by Jones one year before the shooting.

The lyrics, read to the court, closely mirror the crime Jones would later admit to committing, including a verse in which Jones described killing someone in their sleep. Jones shot Devin Chandler, 20, while sleeping he was sleeping with noise canceling headphones on the bus that night.

Dalayna Chandler, Devin’s mother, was the last to testify Monday. She shared the bright future her son had and asked that he be remembered as more than a victim.

In a statement sent to 29 News, Chandler said she hopes to focus on the light he left behind instead of focusing on the darkness that took him.

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