If you’ve lived here in the Triad long enough, you surely remember the tragic accident involving six Wake Forest University students who were hit head-on by a drunk driver. Two students died and three were seriously injured.
The case gained notoriety because it was the first time a drunk driver was charged with first-degree murder. Thomas Jones was initially convicted, but the N.C. Supreme Court overturned that conviction. During his second trial, Jones pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15-18 years in jail.
Jones leaves prison today after 15 years:
Jones is 54 now. He will be released to live in Iredell County and will be on post-release supervision for nine months. During that time, he won’t be able to drive or go into a bar or any establishment where the primary business is selling alcohol, said Keith Acree, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Correction. He can’t possess alcohol or illegal drugs and is subject to random drug testing. And he is required to get substance-abuse treatment or counseling if ordered by his probation officer, Acree said.
After the nine months, it will be up to the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles whether Jones will get his driver’s license back.
Jones’ attorney in the first trial said he “disagreed with the decision to charge Jones with first-degree murder. If the conviction had been upheld, prosecutors would have been able to charge anyone with first-degree murder in a fatal traffic accident…..”
