The man who fatally shot three University of Virginia football players more than three years ago was sentenced to life in prison Friday, according to ESPN.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 27, received five life sentences plus an additional 23 years for the murders of South Florida native D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and , as well as for wounding running back Mike Hollins and track athlete Marlee Morgan.
The sentencing followed a weeklong hearing in Charlottesville, Virginia, before Judge Cheryl Higgins.
Jones pleaded guilty last year to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, and five counts of using a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Prosecutors said Jones opened fire on a charter bus as students returned to campus from a class trip to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2022.
During the sentencing hearing, Hollins, Morgan, members of the victims’ families, and others who had been on the bus provided testimony, according to ESPN.
The shooting devastated the UVA and South Florida communities and prompted tributes to the players.
A peace walk in September in Miami Gardens honored Perry, a Gulliver Preparatory School graduate and football player, with a bench and tree dedicated at Sgt. Joseph Delancy Park in Richmond Heights.
Perry’s family and teammates remembered him as intelligent, kind, and full of humor.
Coaches and teammates remembered Perry for his determination and passion both on and off the field.
“Each time I look up to the sky and I see a star shining bright, I will forever be reminded of the light that D’Sean brought to my life,” coach Tony Elliott said after the shooting in 2022
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