‘Lives they should still be living’: Families remember three JMU students killed in crash three years later
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- It’s been three years since three James Madison University students were killed in a car crash after an unregistered fraternity event. Their families miss them every day.
Nineteen-year-old John “Luke” Fergusson of Richmond, 19-year-old Nicholas Troutman of Henrico, and 20-year-old Joshua Mardis of Williamsburg all died at the scene.
“We hope that remembering what caused their deaths leads to safer choices and meaningful changes, so no other family experiences this heartbreak," Jessica Troutman, Nicholas's mother, wrote. She called the crash "completely preventable."
The three JMU students killed in the 2023 car crash are Joshua Mardis, Nicholas Troutman and Jonh "Luke" Fergusson.
On Feb. 2, 2023, then 19-year-old Campbell Ryan Fortune of Henrico was driving the three men plus one surviving passenger back to JMU from an event at a gentlemen’s club in Hardy County, WV, with Pi Beta Chi, a fraternity not recognized by the university.
Court records say Fortune crashed at 95 miles per hour. He did not have alcohol in his system, but witnesses saw him smoking marijuana and nitrous oxide, or “whippets,” were on the driver’s side floorboard. 8News previously reported on the request his attorney made to throw out any evidence related to whippets had the case gone to trial.
In April of 2025, Fortune was sentenced to 90 days in jail and seven years of probation after accepting a plea deal, which the families described as a "fair and thoughtful sentence."
In May, the university honored the three men with posthumous academic certificates during graduation ceremonies.
“We remain eternally grateful for everyone who has supported us during this time," John Fergusson, Luke's father, told 8News. "We are saddened and disappointed by the actions or lack there of from those at JMU who the boys thought were their friends.”
The three families filed wrongful death suits against the fraternity in Henrico County. Jessica Troutman said “fraternity brothers withheld critical information."
"In the time immediately following the crash, the last three years, and still ongoing - our families have faced compounded stress, pain, and life altering impacts because of choices made by the driver, his parents, many fraternity members, and their parents - choices that prioritized protecting reputations and preserving their normal lives over truth, accountability, safety, and compassion for the families who lost their sons," she said.
The Troutman and Fergusson families dropped their wrongful death cases on Jan. 11 in Henrico County, but said they’re in full support of the Mardis family’s active case.
"Our families continue to grieve the loss of Joshua, Luke, and Nick and the lives that they had ahead of them," Yvette Mardis, Joshua's mother, told 8News.
The attorney representing the Mardis family, Jonathan Fazzola, did not respond for comment. The attorney representing the fraternity, James Liskow, declined to comment.
