A 19-year-old from Washington state, Chase Daniel Jones, has pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, including vehicular homicide, following a fatal collision that claimed the lives of four people. Jones initially denied the charges while recovering from his own injuries in a hospital bed after the crash on March 19, 2024.
The tragic accident resulted in the death of Andrea Hudson, 38, the driver of the van that Jones hit, and three young passengers: Boyd “Buster” Brown, 12, Matilda Wilcoxson, 13, and Eloise Wilcoxson, 12. Hudson’s two children, Nolan and Charlotte, were also in the van and suffered severe injuries.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced on April 4 that Jones had changed his plea, accepting guilt for all felony charges against him. The incident occurred when Jones ran a red light at an intersection in his 2015 Audi A4, a vehicle he had only recently purchased.
According to court documents obtained by a local ABC affiliate, KOMO, Jones was driving at a speed of 112 mph in a 40 mph zone at the time of the accident and did not attempt to brake. Witnesses reported that Jones was speeding, weaving through traffic, and using the shared turn lane to overtake other vehicles before the crash.
The documents also revealed that this was the third car Jones had wrecked due to speeding within 11 months. However, he was not cited by the police for the previous two incidents. The 2024 collision was captured on surveillance cameras, and the footage was included in KOMO’s coverage.
Jones sustained serious injuries in the crash, including broken arms and legs, and required a breathing tube during his recovery. After being discharged from the hospital, he was taken into custody.
The prosecutor’s office confirmed that Jones’ plea encompassed all felony charges against him, including four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault. King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion stated that the office would not have accepted anything less than a guilty plea on all felony counts.
The victims’ families were present during the plea agreement and expressed their support for it. Jones is set to be sentenced on April 25 and remains in custody at the Maleng Regional Justice Center.