RENTON, Wash. — Chase Jones, the then 18-year-old who caused the crash that killed four people and injured two others in Renton on March 19, 2024, pled guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault on Thursday.
Jones, now 19 years old, was driving at 112 miles per hour when he crashed into a van, killing three children and a mother.
The victims were Eloise Wilcoxson, 12, Buster B. Brown, 12, and Matilda Wilcoxson, 13, and Andrea Hudson, 38.
Andrea Hudson’s two children, Nolan and Charlotte Hudson, survived the crash but have sustained life-changing injuries, a representative from the King County Court said.
“There are no words to express the grief, the pain that we feel. Four bright lights are missing from the world and it feels cold and dark,” said Chase Wilcoxson, the father of two children killed following the crash. “The wounds that we feel will eventually heal, but the scars will remain for the rest of our lives.”
Jones will be sentenced on April 25, but his final sentence will be up to a judge’s decision. The standard minimum sentence for this category of felony is 17.5 to 23.3 years, according to the King County Courts.
Wilcoxson spoke with KIRO 7 on Thursday after the plea announcement, and he said:
“I take no pleasure in his or his family’s pain. Taking responsibility and being held accountable is a necessary step for Chase Jones and for our community. I pray for him and invite everyone to do the same.”
Jones’s plea gave relief to community members who are still heartbroken by this tragedy.
“I was thankful, actually thankful that he is taking a step at owning up to what he’s done,” said Kelley Molinari, a close family friend of the victims.
Andrea Hudson’s two children, Nolan and Charlotte Hudson, survived the crash but have sustained life-changing injuries, a representative from the King County Court said.
“This is clear accountability, but it’s still never gonna replace the terrible loss that those family members feel and that the community feels,” said Casey McNerthney, Public Information Officer for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
McNerthney emphasized that Jones’s charges are the same charges he would’ve faced in a trial.
“I think there’s any idea and it’s incorrect that you know, he might get out tomorrow or he might be out now. He actually was taken into custody and sentencing with those convictions this morning,’ he explained.
Jones will be sentenced on April 25, but his final sentence will be up to a judge’s decision.
The standard minimum sentence for this category of felony is 17.5 to 23.3 years, according to the King County Courts.
Molinari believes there’s no amount of time serve that will be enough.
“Unfortunately we have a legal system, not a justice system, so there will never be justice, but there can be healing in many ways,” she said. “I think everybody is looking for peace, even Mr. Jones. And I’m hoping that’s why he plead guilty is because he wants to heal.”
In the wake of the crash, Washington lawmakers have drafted legislation to address accountability for dangerous driving.
HB 1596, known as the Andrea Smith Hudson Act, passed in the House and would mandate Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) devices to regulate the speed of those with a history of speeding. The devices would limit a driver from going more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, according to a bill report.
©2025 Cox Media Group
