.jpg)
HARTINGTON — Carrie Jones was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole during a Thursday morning hearing in Cedar County District Court.
Jones was convicted in the Aug. 4, 2022, first-degree murder of Gene Twiford.
Thursday's 40-minute hearing featured two of Twiford’s daughters reading emotional victim impact statements detailing how Jones’ actions affected not only their lives, but the lives of every Laurel and Cedar County resident.
In addition to life in prison, Carrie Jones was sentenced to 5-10 years in prison for Tampering with Physical Evidence, and 16 to 20 years in prison for Accessory to a Felony.
The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office prosecuted Jones in the murder trial that began July 28 in Madison County. The case was moved out of Cedar County on a change of venue request, fearing she would not be able to get a fair trial here. The jury reached its verdict Aug. 7, finding her guilty on all counts.
Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Sandra Allen said things could have turned out much differently if the Joneses would have tried to get to know Ebeling and the Twifords.
'They would have learned she was a kind person, not somebody who was weird.' And if there was a problem, they should have talked to him, she said.
“It could’ve resolved the problem, short of killing his entire family,” Allen said. “It didn’t have to end like this. I think everyone in this room can agree that this was an absolutely senseless crime, a senseless crime.”
Thursday, the Twiford's daughter, Gail Curry, told Judge Bryan Meisner the last time she ever saw her parents and sister alive was Aug. 3, 2022.
The next day 'life changed forever,' she said. 'I didn't know it at the time, but it was the last day I ever spoke with my mom and dad. Like so many times before, our conversation was simple and ordinary — the kind of moment you never realize that someday you'll replay over and over again.'
She talked to her mom about some cell phone issues. Later in the day, her dad stopped by to drop off the newspaper — 'the last one I would ever get from him,' she said. 'It was such a small thing. Something he did so often, but now it feels like everything. I always ended every call or every visit with my folks with the words, 'I love you,' because I always wanted those to be the last words they'd ever hear from me if anything were to ever happen. I had no idea these words would be our final exchange, but I hold onto them now with everything I have.'
Curry said the court calls her report a victim impact statement, but she views it as something much more. 'It is a statement of strength, love and determination — a reflection of our family's fight for justice and our refusal to be defined by tragedy. We are not just victims we are warriors for justice carrying forward the voices of my mom, dad and sister.'
This tragedy took place because of one woman's 'delusion and hatred,' Curry said.
'She pushed her husband to kill my father, and in doing so destroyed my entire family as well as an innocent neighbor,' she said.
Curry described her mom as 'her angel.'
'My mom was the kindest and most caring person you've ever met. At 85, she was still so full of energy and love for her family ... always making sure everything was in its place and everyone was taken care of.'
'She was the heart of the family — the one who remembered every birthday, and made every holiday special. Losing her left a hole that could never be filled. She did not deserve the fear or pain she suffered that night.'
Curry told the panel about her dad's dedication and kindness to his family, community and veterans.
'He was a farmer all of his life and it showed in everything about him. The strength in his hands, the calm in his voice, and quiet pride in the life he worked so hard to build,' she said. 'He served proudly in the U.S. Army and carried that sense of duty with him throughout his life. He was deeply devoted to his fellow veterans and gave so much of himself to the veteran community. Beyond all of his hard work and dedication, my dad had a playful, light-hearted side. He loved meeting new people, sharing stories and finding a reason to make someone laugh. He never understood why people chose to be mean and angry, while life had so much good to offer. He did not deserve to be murdered in his sleep by a coward in the middle of the night.'
Curry also wanted to make sure the panel understood the role her sister played in so many people's lives.
'My sister, Dana, was born with special needs, but she lived her life with more heart and kindness then most people ever will,' Curry said. 'Her love, laughter and innocence made everyone around her a little better.'
Curry said her sister tried living on her own for awhile, but decided she felt more safe living in the comfortable confines of her parents' home.
'She came back home, the place she felt the safest. She used to worry that someone would try to break in and hurt her, but we always reassured her that she was safe, that nothing like that would ever happen. But the very thing she feared most, found her in the one place where she should have been protected.'
The night of the tragedy Dana turned out to be the hero, Curry said.
'She caught the attacker by surprise, throwing off his plan and forcing him into mistakes. Even though he ultimately started the fire that destroyed the house, her resistance flustered him and caused him to burn himself and leave behind clues that helped us find him,' Curry said. ' Her courage changed the course of that terrible night, but it came at the greatest cost as she was shot seven times.'
Jason Jones was arrested the very next day, but his wife was not arrested until four months later.
'During those months, my family and I lived in fear, confusion and disbelief. We were constantly on edge never knowing what the defendant would do next,' Curry said. 'When I later learned she had been the driving force behind it all, my grief turned into something deeper, something words cannot describe. Now, more than three years later, the pain and disbelief still remain. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about my mom, dad and sister or the pain and horror they must have endured.'
Curry said the crime has changed everything about how she and her family live, think and relate to others.
“Trusting others doesn’t come easily any more,” she said. “We were a family that once felt safe in a small town where everyone knew each other, but that sense of safety was shattered that night and it’s never returned. My outlook on life has changed. I used to feel peace and contentment in our home, but now every sound brings unease. The fire not only destroyed our parents’ home, but several pieces of our family’s history, heirlooms and photos, keepsakes and heirlooms, but of course the greatest loss was their lives.”
Curry then implored Judge Meismer to hand down the stiffest penalty possible.
“The defendant made choices that day that destroyed four innocent lives and shattered mine and my families lives forever,” she said. “I want her to spend the rest of her life in prison and spend every single day remembering what she took from us. It angers me that she still gets to wake up and eat every morning. My family didn’t get that chance. I ask this court to make sure the defendant never walks free in the world again.”
