Man found guilty of murdering 4 people in Laurel eligible for death penalty

EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been edited to say that Jones was found guilty of second-degree arson. We regret the error.

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (KCAU) — A man accused of murdering four people in the small northeast Nebraska town of Laurel has been found guilty by a jury.

Jason Jones has been found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony, and two counts of second-degree arson. The arson charges were originally first-degree arson.

In order for Jones to be eligible for the death penalty, the state needed to argue for “aggravating circumstances,” setting the first-degree murders apart by establishing factors that make a particular case warrant the death penalty. Prosecutors presented evidence that Jones killed Janet and Dana Twiford after he killed Gene.

“The state is contending that not only did he commit another murder at the time that he killed them, but that his reason his motive for killing those 2 people was to conceal his identity,” said prosecutor Corey O’Brien.

Court reconvened, and, Thursday afternoon, the jury found that aggravated circumstances were present during the murders, meaning that Jones is eligible for the death penalty . Specifically, the jury found that the murders of Janet Twiford and Dana Twiford were done “in a effort to conceal the commission of a crime, or to conceal the identity of the perpetrator of such crime.”

Going forward, a three-judge panel will decide whether or not to sentence Jones to death.

Jones was originally accused for the murder of Gene Twiford, 86, Janet Twiford, 85, and their daughter Dana Twiford, 55, at their home during the early morning hours of Aug. 4, 2022 . He was also accused of killing a fourth person, Michele Ebeling, 53, at her home. He then allegedly set both homes on fire.

Jones was arrested the following day . He was then charged with four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree arson, and four counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony. Jones pleaded not guilty to the charges in May 2023.

Jones’ wife, Carrie Jones, is also charged in connection with the case. She is accused of one count of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and accessory to a felony. Carrie Jones also pleaded not guilty to her charges in May 2023. Her trial is set for Nov. 25 in Cedar County.

The Jason Jones verdict comes after a jury trial that lasted 10 days over the course of three weeks. A vast array of evidence was presented and a number of witnesses took the stand. Closing statements took place Wednesday.

In a testimony, Nebraska State Patrol officer Tyler Mann said a cell phone had what appeared to be a suicide note by Jason Jones, apologizing to his wife and making a reference to “taking others with him.”

One key piece of evidence was a recording of a phone call Jones allegedly made to his mother. In the call, Jason Jones was allegedly heard saying Carrie Jones dealt with harassment from Gene Twiford, but they couldn’t go to the police.

“Two years we dealt with that, we try to get cops to do something,” Jason Jones was allegedly heard saying in the voice recording. “Well, technically he’s in the street. You can get a harassment order but you gotta go to court, you gotta get all the evidence to prove it, and Carrie was kinda embarrassed about it.”

Another witness said two different guns were used in the quadruple homicide. He told jurors that bullets and casings recovered from Michele Ebeling’s property matched a 44-calibre handgun that was found at the Jones residence. Another weapon, a Ruger-57, was found at the Twiford home and matched bullets recovered from the three bodies, he said.

According to a forensic scientist , Jones’s DNA was also found on 15 items recovered from the crime scenes and his bedroom, including guns and magazines.

Jason Jones himself chose not to be present in the courtroom during the trial due to injury. He was treated for “significant burns” after his arrest, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

The trial was originally set to take place in Cedar County, where Laurel is located. However, it was moved to Dakota County due to concerns over the ability to seat an impartial jury in Cedar County.

Chase Foix, Wesley Thoene and Reilly Mahon contributed to this report.

To view KCAU 9’s previous coverage of this case, click here .

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