Man accused of 4 killings in Nebraska pleads not guilty
May 9, 2023, 10:05 AM
HARTINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of killing four people in a small northeast Nebraska town has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges.
Jason Jones, 43, of Laurel, on Monday waived his right to appear in person at a May 22 arraignment and instead asked to enter written pleas of not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony and two counts of first-degree arson, The Sioux City Journal reported.
Jones is accused in the shooting deaths of Michele Ebeling, 53; Gene Twiford, 86; his wife, Janet Twiford, 85; and their daughter 55-year-old daughter, Dana Twiford, and setting the victims’ homes on fire.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Jones is convicted.
Jones’ wife, Carrie Jones, is charged with one count of first-degree murder in relation to Gene Twiford’s death, tampering with physical evidence and being an accessory to a felony. She’s accused of helping her badly burned husband hide while authorities searched for him after the four deaths were discovered on Aug. 4, 2022.
Carrie Jones remains in custody on $1 million bond. She is scheduled for a May 22 arraignment.
Laurel is a community of less than 1,000 people, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Omaha.
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