Letter of apology on Jones' phone, firearm linked to murders found in Jones' apartment

DAKOTA COUNTY, Nebraska (KTIV) – “Until we meet again, my Mewters.”

A note found in the deleted folder of the Notes app on Jason Jones' iPhone was admitted into evidence by his defense attorney Friday as Day 7 of Jones' murder trial resumed in Dakota County District Court.

This note was discovered when Nebraska State Patrol investigators seized his cell phone, which was lying on the nightstand next to the bed where he was found when he was arrested at his home at 206 Elm Street in Laurel, Nebraska.

This note was last edited on August 4, 2022, shortly after 1 a.m.

Michele Ebeling, who lived across the street from Jones at 209 Elm, was found murdered in her home shortly after 3 a.m. that same day.

The message, which readers assumed was addressed to Jones' wife, Carrie Jones, was apologetic in nature and a reference to a person believed to be the victim, Gene Twiford.

The note was read to the jury in the courtroom on Friday.

“Until we meet again, my Mewters. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry I've disappointed you so many times over the years. I'm sorry that what I wanted to do for us only made it worse. I hope you can find some peace one day. The last thing I could do was take the motherfuckers with me. I did what I could. Final recon that the guy was down the street, not home. But I at least found his hideout. Yes, I went with them and built my own Greek pyre. A la Darth Vader. Took my tools too, and didn't think I was a straight up liar the whole time, but everything I did, I tried to do for us. I love you. (four hearts).”

Nebraska Assistant Attorney General Sandra Allen objected to the admission of the note into evidence, arguing that there was no way to prove that the note was written by Jason Jones. District Judge Bryan Meismer heard the objection and admitted the note into evidence.

“If Mr. Jones wanted to commit suicide, did he have the means to do so in his home?” Allen asked Nebraska State Patrol investigator Tyler Mann.

“Yes,” said Mann.

“Multiple weapons?” asked Allen.

“Yes,” said Mann.

“And several knives?” asked Allen.

“Yes,” said Mann.

“And you were just an arm’s length from the bed he was found in?” Allen asked.

“Yes,” said Mann.

Jones is charged with first-degree murder. He is accused of shooting 53-year-old Ebeling, 86-year-old Twiford, 85-year-old Janet Twiford and 55-year-old Dana Twiford and then setting fire to their homes in the early morning hours of August 4, 2022.

Receipts for two red gas cans, gasoline and a backpack paid for with credit cards registered to Jason Jones were found in a black backpack on Ebeling's kitchen table. A Ruger 57 pistol found on the floor of the Twifords' burned home was also registered to Jones.

The Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team arrested Jones at his home around 5 a.m. on August 5, 2022. He was found in a first-floor bedroom, naked except for a black zip-up sweatshirt, with severe burns to his limbs and hands. Jones spent several weeks in a burn unit in Nebraska for treatment after his arrest. He asked to be excused from appearing at his trial because he continues to have issues with these injuries.

The state also presented evidence on Friday, namely recordings of phone calls Jones made to his mother from prison after his arrest. In one of the phone calls, dated November of last year, presented to the court, Jones repeated allegations that Gene Twiford had molested his wife, Carrie.

“I can tell you they were not innocent. This guy was banned from half the businesses in town because of his stalking, sick, sexual behavior,” Jones told his mother. The clip of the phone call ended with Jones saying he had “a homicidal mania toward innocent people.”

On the afternoon of his arrest, investigators executed a search warrant at the Joneses' home. They had to wear masks because chemical gas fumes were still present in the house. SWAT officers used these to try to get Jones to leave the house under his own power.

In the first floor bedroom, investigators found an empty Ruger 57 gun case in a dresser drawer, the same Ruger 57 that was on the living room floor of the Twifords' home. Investigators identified the case as belonging to that gun based on matching serial numbers.

Also in the bedroom was a Desert Eagle pistol in a case. The .44 caliber weapon had a loaded magazine with five rounds. Those rounds, investigators said, matched those found in Michele Ebeling's home.

Investigators also found cards in a hallway closet under the stairs in the Jones' house. The cards caught investigators' attention because they had a “pet name” written on them. That pet name matched cards they had seen days earlier in a red tool bag on Ebeling's kitchen table.

Investigators initially did not consider the bag as evidence of the crime. It contained black combat pants, black men's underwear, a pair of small white underpants that apparently belonged to a doll found on the table, a small book, engraved stones, a lighter with lighter fluid, and a photograph.

The discovery of the greeting cards in the Joneses' house changed her mind.

There were also cards in the red bag.

“When I found the greeting cards in the closet, I recognized the nickname on them, which I also recognized from 209 Elm,” Mann explained. “If you look at the bottom right of the greeting card or the second line on the napkin, I notice the name 'Mewters.'”

Investigators went back across the street to Ebeling's house to retrieve the evidence bag, which was presented to the court today along with the greeting cards.

The photo in the bag was also a selfie of Jason and Carrie Jones.

Investigators also discovered five cell phones, three tablets, two Apple Watches and a MacBook in the Jones' house, which they secured as evidence. They also discovered two boxes of .44 ammunition in the nightstand next to the bed.

A third gun case containing a .45 pistol was also found in the bedroom. Several large knives were also found, two of which were under a dresser, each of which appeared to have burn marks and damage to the sheaths.

What investigators did not find in the Joneses' house, however, was evidence of burned clothing or shoes that might have been worn during the crime.

According to court documents, Jones claims he killed Gene Twiford because he was harassing his wife, Carrie Jones. From previous statements from investigators, we learned that Twiford was asked not to return to the Cubby's supermarket in Laurel, Nebraska, because he made comments that made someone uncomfortable.

On Friday, the Cubby's current manager, Misty Miranda, who was employed there at the time, said she knew Twiford from his many visits to the store. Miranda said Twiford often responded to employees' questions about how he was doing with, “I'm still alive, so don't bend,” but she described Twiford as a “sweet guy” who “liked to crack jokes.”

Former manager of the local Dollar General, Jennifer Schaible, also took the stand Friday, saying she would help Twiford find the items on a list he brought with him during his frequent visits to the store. Schaible also commented on similar remarks Twiford had made before, but said she never felt threatened by him.

Both Schaible and Miranda said they were never offended by Twiford's comments.

A brief history of the Jason Jones trial

Jason Jones, 44, is charged with four counts each of premeditated murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony, as well as two counts of arson. He is accused of shooting the Twifords and Ebeling in their Laurel, Nebraska, homes in the early morning hours of August 4, 2022, and then setting both homes on fire. If he is found guilty of premeditated murder, prosecutors will seek the death penalty, they have said.

Jones' trial was moved from Cedar County, where the crime occurred, to Dakota County after Judge Meismer ruled that Jones would have a difficult time getting a fair trial from a jury there. Jones will remain out of the courtroom throughout the trial. A July court ruling granted his request not to appear in person for the hearing because Jones cannot sit for long periods of time due to the burns he suffered the night of the shooting.

Jones' wife, Carrie Jones, is facing charges for the murders. She pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and aiding and abetting a crime. Her next hearing is scheduled for November in Cedar County District Court.

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