RICHMOND, Va. — The families of three James Madison University students killed in a 2023 car crash said they were opposed to the plea deal reached with the driver of the car involved in the fatal crash.
John "Luke" Fergusson, 19, Nicholas Troutman, 19, and Joshua Mardis, 20, were killed February 2, 2023, when the car they were in crashed into a tree in West Virginia.
The car was traveling at 95 miles per hour when it crashed.
Fergusson and Troutman were from the Richmond area, and Mardis was from Williamsburg.
Now, their families say the driver of the car accepted a plea deal that they "strongly opposed."
Campbell Ryan Fortune, 21, of Henrico was scheduled to go to trial on seven charges last week in Hardy County, West Virginia, according to the victims' families.
All four students were either members or potential members of the Pi Beta Chi fraternity at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.
A fraternity source told CBS 6 that on the night in question, a large group drove to a gentleman's club in Hardy County.
Fortune, then 19, was the designated driver for the car carrying the victims and one other student.
On the way back from the club, the car driven by Fortune swerved twice before hitting a tree.
Fortune was charged with three counts of negligent homicide and one count each of reckless driving, underage possession of beer, no proof of insurance, and speeding.
But the families say Fortune was offered a deal by a new prosecutor and pleaded "no contest" on February 25 to one count each of speeding and negligent homicide.
Both charges are only misdemeanors and Fortune faces a maximum of a year in prison, a loss of license, and fines.
In a statement, the victims' families said they expressed their opposition to the prosecutor because it "diminishes the gravity of this tragedy and is unfathomable to our families.”
CBS 6 asked the prosecutor's office why they went this route but has not heard back.
"Prosecutors always have some motivation to come to some plea agreement because it gives them a sure thing," CBS 6 legal analyst Todd Stone said. "You would think maybe if they could prove it for one of them, they could prove it for three of them. I can't tell you what the thought process was with the prosecutor, and I can understand the families being disheartened by the process."
Sentencing in this case is set for April 22.
Meanwhile, the families of the victims have filed a civil lawsuit in Henrico County against the fraternity and its members.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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