Sentencing Delayed for Former UVA Student Charged In Fatal 2022 Shooting

Former UVA student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting three UVA football players and injuring two others in November 2022, will have to wait until November 2025 to learn his sentencing. The hearing was originally scheduled for this week but has been postponed, leaving families of the victims and the UVA community facing an extended wait for closure.

Jones admitted guilt to three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, and five counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

In response to the delayed sentencing, Kimberly Wald, an attorney representing two of the affected families, issued a statement to WDBJ7, acknowledging their frustration with the slow pace of the criminal justice system. "The families painfully anticipate the conclusion of this tragically dark chapter in their lives. Ultimately, we are confident they will obtain justice under the fullest extent of the law," Wald said.

The university’s planned external review of the shooting, originally intended to follow the sentencing, will also be postponed. The delay prolongs the community's efforts to process and learn from the tragedy.

SOURCE: WHSV3