Chase Jones is set to be sentenced April 25 after pleading guilty in the crash that killed Andrea Hudson, Matilda and Eloise Wilcoxson and Buster Brown. KING COUNTY, Wash. — A man who hit and killed four people and injured two others in a crash in King County in 2024 has pleaded guilty on all […]
Chase Jones is set to be sentenced April 25 after pleading guilty in the crash that killed Andrea Hudson, Matilda and Eloise Wilcoxson and Buster Brown.
KING COUNTY, Wash. — A man who hit and killed four people and injured two others in a crash in King County in 2024 has pleaded guilty on all felony counts.
Chase Jones, 19, pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault.
Jones was previously charged with reckless driving, but that was not part of the plea. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Jones’ sentence would not have increased with a guilty plea on that misdemeanor based on state sentencing guidelines.
Andrea Hudson, 38; Matilda Wilcoxson, 13; Eloise Wilcoxson, 12; and Boyd “Buster” Brown, 12, were killed in the crash on March 19, 2024, near Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast in Fairwood. Two other children, a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old, were injured in the crash.
Hudson was carpooling five children when Jones ran a red light and smashed into Hudson’s minivan, according to charging documents.
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Witnesses told police Jones was speeding and weaving around traffic before the crash. Data from Jones’ car show he was traveling 112 miles per hour through the red light when he crashed into Hudson’s vehicle. The posted speed limit in the area is 40 mph.
Ted Smith, Hudson’s father, said he was glad Jones pleaded guilty and that it saved all of the families “a lot of grueling turmoil going through a trial.”
“I don’t think we really feel any closure. They’re gone. Everyone’s life is broken, [Jones] as well. So no, I don’t feel closure, but it’s been over a year so it’s good this can progress and be dealt with,” said Smith. “Hopefully it can be a message that we can’t tolerate this.”
Smith said his two grandchildren who were also involved in the crash are making strong recoveries.
Charging documents show Jones was involved in two serious crashes in the year before the Fairwood collision. In both cases, Jones totaled his car after speeding.
Jones is set to be sentenced April 25.
The King County prosecutor’s office said sentencing ranges for vehicular homicide (reckless manner) range from 17 years and six months to 23 years and four months for offenders with a score of 10, which Jones has. The sentences would run concurrently.
Since the crash, family and friends have pushed for change at the state level to prevent something like it from happening again. State representatives passed House Bill 1596 last month, which would mandate devices that limit a driver from going more than 10 mph over the speed limit in cases of a court order or a probationary period after a suspended driver’s license. The bill is currently making its way through the Senate.
“We wanted to get something good out of this,” said Smith. “From what I can tell, there hasn’t been any substantive opposition to it. We’re hopeful.”
