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HARTINGTON — Carrie Jones, the woman sentenced to life in prison for her role in the 2022 Laurel killings, has begun the appeal process in the Nebraska Supreme Court.
An attorney for Jones, 46, filed a motion Friday requesting preparation of trial transcripts needed to pursue the appeal following her November sentencing in Cedar County District Court.
Jones was sentenced Nov. 20 to life in prison without parole, plus 21 to 30 years, after a jury convicted her of first-degree murder, evidence tampering and accessory charges stemming from the deaths of four Laurel residents.
The victims were Gene Twiford, 86, and his wife, Janet, 85; their daughter, Dana Twiford, 55; and Michele Ebeling, 53, who were killed during a series of attacks at two Laurel homes in the early hours of Aug. 4, 2022.
Prosecutors argued Jones pressured her husband, Jason Jones, to act against Gene Twiford over what she described as years of inappropriate comments. While she did not carry out the shootings, the jury found she aided and abetted the murder of Gene Twiford.
Evidence showed Jason Jones broke into the Twifords’ home shortly after 3 a.m., fatally shooting three people and setting the house on fire before killing Ebeling at a nearby residence and setting that home ablaze.
Carrie Jones’ trial was moved to Madison County because of pretrial publicity and community sentiment in Cedar County. The jury returned guilty verdicts after about 3½ hours of deliberation following a nearly two-week trial.
The appeal is expected to take months, and possibly longer, to resolve. Jones was granted permission to appeal in forma pauperis, meaning Cedar County will cover appellate costs.
Jason Jones, who has been convicted of four counts of first-degree murder, is scheduled to be sentenced April 10 by a three-judge panel. He faces either life in prison or the death penalty.
