Jury begins deliberations in Jones murder trial

They began sifting through all of that information early Wednesday afternoon to determine whether Jones is guilty of shooting four residents of Laurel, Nebraska, and setting fire to their homes.

Jurors left the Dakota County courtroom at 1:40 p.m. to hear 10 counts: four counts each of premeditated murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony, and two counts of premeditated arson in connection with the deaths of Michele Ebeling, 53, in her home, and Gene Twiford, 86, his wife Janet Twiford, 85, and their daughter Dana Twiford, 55, in their home on Aug. 4, 2022. If Jones is found guilty of premeditated murder, the state will seek the death penalty.

In their closing arguments to the jury, the prosecutor and defense attorney declared Jones guilty, but disagreed on the extent of the charge.

Nebraska Assistant Attorney General Sandra Allen said the evidence was overwhelming that Jones committed all four murders and that he acted premeditatedly, a key factor in establishing guilt for premeditated murder.

Jones had driven from Laurel to Sioux City hours before the shootings to buy gas cans and a backpack, all items that were found burned in the homes. Text messages show that he tracked Gene Twiford's movements in Laurel on August 3. He brought guns, extra ammunition magazines, lighters and gasoline to each home.

They indicate premeditation, Allen said. Jones' DNA on all items found at both crime scenes and in his home, as well as ballistics tests that confirmed bullets removed from all four bodies during autopsies were fired from Ruger 57 and .44 pistols belonging to Jones, point to only one person.

“The gun, the shell casings and the magazines that were brought into the Twifords' house show that Jason Jones went into that house to kill the Twifords,” Allen said. “Everything in both houses leads to Jason Jones. His DNA is everywhere. It's everywhere.”

The jury has the option of convicting Jones of the lesser offenses of second-degree murder or manslaughter and second-degree arson. Defense attorney Matthew McDonald told them in his closing argument that those lesser charges were the right choice because the state had overcharged Jones and brought charges that the evidence did not support in order to get the maximum sentence.

“Ultimately, we are asking you to convict him for what he did, not what the state accuses him of,” McDonald said.

As he had said in his opening statement, McDonald said Jones suffered a nervous breakdown on the night of the shooting, as evidenced by a note he wrote and updated shortly before the shooting and left for his wife, Carrie Jones, in which he wrote, “I was just trying to do something for us,” before talking about going to a Greek funeral pyre, “a la Darth Vader.”

“If Mr. Jones had a nervous breakdown, he couldn't have done it intentionally,” McDonald said. “Yes, he is liable, but what he did in his mind was involuntary. Because he had a nervous breakdown, it wasn't voluntary. So yes, convict him, but don't convict him of murder, of premeditated murder.”

McDonald argued for a second-degree murder conviction for the three Twiford deaths. McDonald said Carrie Jones killed Ebeling.

A neighbor across the street testified that he saw someone with long hair – Jason Jones had short hair – leaving Ebeling's house shortly after hearing gunshots around 3:05 a.m. At the time, Jason Jones was believed to still be at the Twifords' house and Carrie Jones was just coming home from work.

“All we're asking is that you convict Mr. Jones for his actions,” McDonald said. “If you do that, he will be gone, but he will be gone for the right crimes and not the ones he is accused of.”

In her rebuttal, Allen rejected the defense's arguments.

“The fact that this man killed three people two and a half blocks away and had nothing to do with the other murder is absurd,” Allen said.

No evidence was presented regarding Jason Jones' mental state, Allen said, and his DNA, not his wife's, was found on a gas can and live .44 cartridge inside the house, a lighter and flashlight outside the house and a drop of blood on the garage.

“There is no evidence that she pulled the trigger. There is nothing in the house that points to her,” Allen said. “We murdered four people. We have evidence that leaves no reasonable doubt that Jason Jones shot them.”

Jones suffered severe burns the night of the shooting and was unable to attend the trial due to his injuries, as he is unable to sit upright for long periods of time. He remains in custody in Lincoln.

Carrie Jones, 45, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and aiding and abetting a serious crime. She is accused of aiding and abetting the death of Gene Twiford, who investigators say was a constant harassment of her.

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