Judge throws the book at Washington state driver accused of killing mom and two children in 122 mph crash in 25 mph zone – as her two surviving kids cling to life in hospital
- Chase Jones, 18, crashed his Audi into a minivan while allegedly driving at 112mph on on March 19
- Judge Johanna Bender said the driver was doings speeds meant for a 'NASCAR track' and set bail at $100,000
- Eloise and Matilda Wilcoxson, 12 and 13; Buster Brown, 12; and Andrea Hudson, 38 were killed in the crash
The judge presiding over the case of an 18-year-old driver accused of killing a mom and three children in a high-speed car crash in Seattle has not minced her words.
Judge Johanna Bender said that Chase Jones, who allegedly crashed his Audi A4 at 112mph into a minivan, was travelling at speeds suitable for a 'NASCAR track.'
The accused driver appeared in court via video-link from his hospital bed on Monday.
His face looked expressionless as he was charged with four counts of vehicular assault and reckless driving.
Jones pleaded not guilty as Judge Bender set bail at $100,000 and recommended he be placed on electronic home monitoring if he posts the sum.
She forbade him from driving.
The moment Jones allegedly killed the mom and three kids was caught in a shocking video later released by cops.[3]
Chase Jones, 19, allegedly crashed his Audi A4 at 112mph into a minivan in Seattle at about 12:45 pm on March 19
Jones appeared in court via video-link from his hospital bed on Monday over the crash that killed a mom and three children
Judge Johanna Bender did not mince her words during her court appearance on Monday. She said that Jones' was driving at a speed suitable for a 'NASCAR track'
[embedded content]Surveillance footage shows Jones traveling at break-neck speed in his 2015 Audi A4 before tearing through the van in a Seattle suburb on March 19 around 12:45 p.m.
Jones was allegedly traveling at 112mph before the horrific crash at the intersection of South 192nd Street and 140th Avenue South in Renton, triggering a multi-vehicle pile-up.
The victims were identified as sisters Eloise and Matilda Wilcoxson, 12 and 13; Buster Brown, 12; and Andrea Hudson, 38. Court documents seen by KOMO News say they were 'immediately killed' by the 'incredibly violent collision'.
Hudson's two children were also in the car but miraculously survived and are now stable after initially being taken to a Washington hospital in a critical condition.
Also appearing in court on Monday by video-link was the mother of the two young girls killed. She said Jones had not tried to contact the families whose lives have been torn apart by the grisly crash.
'I'm a little concerned and shocked that there has been, to my knowledge, no attempt to reach out to us with any kind of message of sympathy or regret,' Rivka Wilcoxson told the court.
Prosecutors said this isn't the first time Jones has been involved with law enforcement for dangerous driving.
'There is evidence that this defendant has been driving at an excessive speed and totaled two vehicles before this collision,' Senior Deputy Attorney Amy J Freedheim told the court, adding that the other crashes unfolded in January this year.
Defense lawyer Brad Barshi told the court Jones had suffered broken arms and legs in the crash and would be in hospital for a long time.
'My client is not out there stealing cars, having a gun, intentionally trying to commit a violent crime,' Barshi told the court, per KOMO News.
'This is an allegation in which my client may have made a dumb mistake by driving above the speed limit. That's the allegation.'
Andrea Hudson, 38, was carpooling five children including two of her own when another car blew through a red light at an intersection, smashing into her van and killing her instantly
Among the victims were sisters Eloise and Matilda Wilcoxson, 12 and 13, who are survived by their parents and four other siblings
Also killed in the accident was 12-year-old Buster Brown, who was described as 'an exemplary son, brother, and friend'
But the father of the two girls killed in the crash disagreed - pointing out Jones' 'reckless' history - but expressing empathy for the teenager despite it all.
'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,' Chace Wilcoxson told the court, per KOMO News.
'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.'
Bodycam footage from the scene of a previous crash allegedly caused by Jones shows him admitting that he was speeding to a police officer.
'I saw an open road. I was definitely going above the speed limit of 25,' Jones told the officer in May 2023. When asked to estimate his speed, he said '40 or 50.'
'He told me he was speeding down the street ... that dude was hauling,' a KPD officer is heard saying in the video.
Jones had crashed another car and the other driver involved said he was turning when Jones, in a Chevy Tahoe, approached at high speeds.
The officer let Jones off with a warning and talked to the teen's parents before leaving the scene.
Jones and the victims' families appeared in court via video-link on Monday
Jones appeared in court on Monday via video-link from his hospital bed. Chase Wilcoxson, speaking bottom left, father of the two dead girls, told the court that he believes Jones had a history of reckless driving.
'It's a mistake, mistakes happen. Lessons need to be learned, as long as you learn it,' the cop said.
The next crash happened in January, where another driver said Jones was traveling at such a high speed he did not even see him coming, according to KOMO.
Jones bought an Audi a month before the deadly crash, and after he totaled two other cars in the earlier wrecks.
The deadly crash last week left three families heartbroken over the loss of their loved ones.
'When you're driving, think of the people around you,' the girls' father, Chace Wilcoxson, previously told the Seattle Times.
'When you're tempted to speed, think of Andrea. When you're tempted to grab your phone while you're driving, think of my beautiful girls, Matilda and Eloise.
'When you're trying to make the light, remember Buster Brown.'
All four victims died from 'multiple blunt force injuries,' according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office
According to court documents, Tuesday's multi-car pileup was the third speeding crash Jones had been involved in over the last 11 months
Jones, 18, has been charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and reckless driving in connection to Tuesday's crash. He was allegedly going 112 mph when he 'T-boned' Hudson's vehicle
The Wilcoxson sisters were described by their mother as 'inseparable'
Hudson's children, Nolan and Charlotte, who were also in the van, suffered brain bleeds, internal injuries and broken bones and taken to Harborview Medical Center.
An adult in a third car, which was hit on in the collision, sustained minor injuries.
Jones was treated for an internal injury that required surgery as well as a fractured leg and ribs.
Pictured: Jones on police bodycam footage at the site of a previous crash
Hudson, who led a homeschooling group, was driving the three children home when she passed through the intersection and was T-boned by Jones, according to court documents.
According to the GoFundMe page for the 'Matilda and Eloise Wilcoxson Memorial Fund,' Matilda and Eloise were 'a true light to everyone around them.'
The two girls were the oldest of six children, and were described as 'loving big sisters to their younger siblings,' and as '"mother's little helpers" in every sense of the word.'
Matilda and Eloise were active members in their 'church, school, and neighborhood communities.'
'Their love for others radiated through their kind words and actions of service and through their infectious smiles.'
Another GoFundMe set up for 'Andrea Hudson and Medical Care for Nolan and Charlotte' said that after the accident, Andrea's husband, Abe, had been informed that both his wife and daughter (Charlotte) had died in the accident.
'But through a miraculous turn of events, Charlotte was brought to the hospital still alive.'
Charlotte and Nolan are now in critical condition in the ICU at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, where they are 'fighting for their lives.' Their father remains at their bedside to monitor their progess.
Hudson is survived by her husband, Abe, and three children. Two of her kids, 14-year-old Nolan and 12-year-old Charlotte, were in the van at the time of the crash and suffered serious injuries
Photographs of the families affected have been left at the scene of the crash
Andrea Hudson is remembered as an 'amazing mother, devoted wife, beloved daughter, and dear friend to so many.'
She homeschooled all of her three children, and 'dedicated her life to her family.'
The GoFundMe said that 'she was a ray of light to those around her, and always had a smile on her face.'
She was 'the most patient and loving mother a child could hope to have.'
References
- ^ Laura Parnaby (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Mitchell Goodbar For Dailymail.Com (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ The moment Jones allegedly killed the mom and three kids was caught in a shocking video later released by cops. (www.dailymail.co.uk)