Man who killed four in Renton crash sentenced to over 17 years in prison

A man who was traveling at 112 mph and crashed into a minivan, killing one woman and three kids, and injuring two other kids in the Renton area has been sentenced to 210 months in prison — a little over 17 years.

On April 25, Judge Mark Larrañaga at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent sentenced Chase Daniel Jones, 19, whose last known address was in Kent, to 210 months in the Washington State Department of Corrections. Jones pleaded guilty as charged to four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault that occurred on March 19, 2024, at the intersection of Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast in Fairwood.

The charges and victims

• Vehicular homicide for the death of Andrea S. Hudson, 38

• Vehicular homicide for the death of Boyd “Buster” Brown, 12

• Vehicular homicide for the death of Matilda Wilcoxson, 13

• Vehicular homicide for the death of Eloise Wilcoxson, 12

• Vehicular assault for the aggravating injuries to Nolan Hudson, 14

• Vehicular assault for the aggravating injuries to Charlotte Hudson, 12

According to charging documents, the event data recorder in Jones’ vehicle showed that he was traveling over 100 mph during the crash. Prosecutor Amy Freedheim n her statements to the court said that Jones was traveling at 112 mph when he crashed into the victims.

Giving victim impact statements to the judge was Jaron and Jessica Brown, parents of Boyd Brown, Olivia Brown, sister of Boyd Brown; Chace and Rivka Wilcoxson, parents of Matilda and Eloise Wilcoxson; Abraham Hudson, husband of Andrea Hudson and father of Nolan and Charlotte Hudson; Ted and Robin Smith, parents of Andrea Hudson; and King County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Steven Johnson, who responded to the crash.

Jaron Brown shared that there are many things he hates after Boyd Brown’s death — such as Tuesdays because the crash was on a Tuesday, driving past the site of the crash near daily for work. and seeing speeding drivers. Jaron Brown said that, despite hating all of those things, he does not hate Chase Jones, which he attributes to prayer. However, he still aspires to forgive Jones, but he does not think he has yet reached that point.

Jessica Brown said that she feels like she lost herself after the death of Boyd Brown, and she is no longer a reliable, active participant in various communities, but instead an empty shell of a person. Jessica Brown said her children have also suffered, with her daughter often crying at night when she should be sleeping. She said Boyd Brown’s brother, Warner, said almost no words for three days after learning about the death of his brother, second mom, and dear friends, and he slept on the floor of his sister’s room because he didn’t want to sleep where he used to share a room with his brother.

Chace Wilcoxson shared that he had the impossible task of describing the impact of his children’s death, and he wasn’t sure how to help the judge understand what it’s like to identify the bodies at the crash site and not have an open casket due to the damage to the children’s bodies.

Rivka Wilcoxson shared with the court how she and her husband deliberately constructed their lives to be close with the Browns and Hudsons because of their positive influence. Rivka Wilcoxson shared how she still has an instinct to protect her children, despite them no longer being alive, and how their deaths are a heavy burden in her life that won’t go away.

“While nothing I can say can absolve him of responsibility for his actions, I do forgive him,” Rivka Wilcoxson said. “He is loved with a perfect love. This is not the end of his story.”

Abraham Hudson stated that on March 16, 2024, three days before Andrea Hudson’s death, life felt perfect. Abraham Hudson said that they’d gone on a skiing trip for Charlotte Hudson’s birthday, and on that day, the family’s dream had come true that they’d been working on for 20 years.

“Three days later, on March 19, our world, the dream we had created, was shattered in an instant,” Abraham Hudson said. “It was destroyed by a senseless and completely avoidable tragedy, caused by an individual who, while not under any substance influence, made a conscious decision to race through that intersection at an incomprehensible speed.”

Abraham Hudson said that Nolan Hudson will have to deal with the impacts of a compromised immune system and limited range of motion for the rest of his life. He said that Charlotte Hudson will have to deal with the impacts of a severe traumatic brain injury for the rest of her life, and there will be a gaping hole in their heart for the rest of their life from Andrea Hudson’s death.

Chase Jones addresses court

When Jones had his opportunity to address the court, he attempted to read his letter, but after about two minutes of trying to begin speaking, he was unable. Jones’ attorney read his letter for him, which began with Jones telling the family of the victims that he was incredibly sorry for their losses. Jones said that he apologized for the unimaginable pain and suffering he caused and acknowledged that he had made poor and selfish choices.

“Truth is, I was addicted to speed, but not because of an adrenaline rush or excitement or any of that. I used speed like a tool to ignore my problems,” Jones said. “I used a pedal to put all my emotions into, which turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. I never thought I could cause such a tragedy.”

Jones added that he does not understand how the families have forgiven him, but it means a lot to him. Jones said he takes full responsibility, accepts the punishment given to him, and he doesn’t expect the letter to make a difference in how the families feel about him.

Judge Larrañaga said the state and Jones’ defense agreed on a sentence recommendation of 210 months, and he would follow it in his sentence.

“Jones, you have extraordinary potential and drive to be the best version of yourself, and not only learn from this tragic event, but hopefully teach others well,” Larrañaga said.

According to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney, with Jones’ offender score of 10 because of the concurrent charges, his sentence could have ranged from 17 and a half years to 23 and a half years. McNerthney said that under state law, a person can be convicted of multiple felony crimes, and those offenses that happened on the same day are presumed to be concurrent, meaning he will serve the sentences for each crime at the same time.

Details of the case

At 12:42 p.m. March 19, 2024, at the intersection of Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast in the Cascade-Fairwood area of unincorporated King County, Jones was driving southbound in a blue Audi A4 when he collided with a beige Toyota Sienna driven by Andrea Hudson, 38, who was heading eastbound on 192nd Street through the green light at the intersection.

Charging documents report that Jones’ car T-boned the minivan, which also held the five passengers: Matilda Wilcoxson, Eloise Wilcoxson, Boyd Brown, and Hudson’s children, Nolan Hudson and Charlotte Hudson.

Andrea Hudson, Matilda Wilcoxson, Eloise Wilcoxson, and Boyd Brown were pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, while Nolan Hudson and Charlotte Hudson were transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Jones was transported to Harborview Medical Center.

The following day, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office listed “multiple blunt force injuries” as the manner of death for Andrea Hudson, Matilda Wilcoxson, Eloise Wilcoxson and Boyd Brown.

According to the police report, the force of the impact from Jones’ car caused Hudson’s minivan to collide with two more vehicles, where one other driver received non-life-threatening injuries.

Described as an “incredibly violent collision,” the force of the impact caused the minivan to roll and come to a rest 125 feet south of the intersection.

“The impact was so severe it caused approximately three feet of intrusion into the passenger compartment and the fire department had to cut off the roof to extract the occupants,” said King County Sheriff’s Office Detective Justin Langhofer in the report.

Jones’ Audi ended up 126 feet past the point of impact, coming to rest on a retaining wall and chain-link fence on the east side of the road. According to police, the vehicle caught fire after the collision, but was extinguished by a witness.

The story has been updated to include additional details.

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