Teen Accused of Killing 4 in High-Speed Crash Pleads Not Guilty From Hospital Bed
Prosecutors say Chase Daniel Jones, 18, had a history of speeding before the incident where his car struck and killed a woman and three children
An 18-year-old involved in a car crash that killed a woman and three children in Washington state has pleaded not guilty to charges related to their deaths.
Chase Daniel Jones appeared in court virtually while laying in a hospital bed recovering from the deadly collision on Monday, April 1. He entered a not-guilty plea to four counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault and one count of reckless driving, according to local news stations KOMO News, KIRO 7 and KING 5.
Andrea Hudson, 38, was driving a van with five children, including two of her own, when the high-speed accident, which involved four vehicles, occurred in King County shortly before 1 p.m. on March 19, the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) said. Hudson, along with Matilda Wilcoxson, 13, Eloise Wilcoxson, 12, and Boyd Brown, 12, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Hudson’s children, Nolan and Charlotte Hudson, were critically injured in the accident and were taken to a local hospital. One other person was treated for minor injuries, sheriffs said.
Related: Woman, 3 Kids Dead in Washington State Crash: 'Really Hard Situation'
Per court documents cited by KOMO News, Jones is accused of driving at 112 mph and running a red light, crashing into the van in the “incredibly violent collision" that "immediately killed" the victims. The documents also state that Jones has been involved in three car crashes where speeding was a factor within the last year. In last month's deadly incident, he was driving a 2015 Audi A4 that he had just bought weeks before. It marked the third car he “totaled in a crash involving speed in 11 months," court documents alleged.
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Amy J. Freedheim, senior deputy prosecuting attorney for King's County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, wrote in the filing that Jones "was witnessed speeding and weaving around other traffic and using the shared turn lane to pass."
She added, "His driving has been also captured on videos. Witnesses were alerted to his aggressive driving and excessive speeding on the 40mph posted road. Crash data from his vehicle corroborates the witness."
During Monday's hearing, Jones' attorney, Bradley G. Barshis said the teenager "is not out there stealing cars, having a gun, intentionally trying to commit a violent crime. This is an allegation in which my client may have made a dumb mistake by driving above the speed limit. That's the allegation."
Jones' bail was set at $100,000. Should he post bail, the court recommended for him to be on house arrest less than 24 hours after he is discharged from the hospital. He is banned from driving.
It could be a while before Jones is out of the hospital, Barshis, noting that he sustained broken arms and legs, and was just taken off of a breathing tube, per KOMO News.
According to the news station, Matilda and Eloise's father, Chace Wilcoxson, also spoke during the hearing. "Your honor, I don't have evidence of remorse or of his home environment being the right environment for him to heal and change and become the man that he should become," Wilcoxson said of Jones.
He continued, "I don't have hard evidence, but I'm confident that I personally have seen this car driven recklessly days and weeks before this accident. I don't think that this was just a dumb mistake."
PEOPLE reached out to Jones' attorney, Bradley G. Barshis, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for comment.
GoFundMe accounts have been set up for the Hudson, Wilcoxson and Brown families.
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