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MADISON — The process of finding the 12 Madison County jurors who will determine Carrie Jones’ guilt or innocence began on Monday at Madison Public Schools.
The 46-year-old Laurel woman appeared alongside her attorneys, Doug and Nate Stratton, in what was the beginning of a trial that could last up to three weeks. Picking a jury is expected to take two days.
Jones is charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and being an accessory to murder in connection to the Aug. 4, 2022, killings of Gene Twiford, 86, and his wife, Janet Twiford, 85; their daughter, Dana Twiford, 55; and Michele Ebeling, 53, in the early-morning hours of Aug. 4, 2022, at two Laurel homes. Jones’ husband, Jason Jones, set both the Twiford and Ebeling houses on fire after shooting the victims.
Carrie Jones is charged with the murder of Gene Twiford under an aiding and abetting theory. She is not accused of physically carrying out Gene Twiford’s murder, but she allegedly pressured her husband to “do something” about Twiford’s behavior, which involved Twiford allegedly behaving inappropriately toward Carrie Jones over a span of multiple years whenever the two crossed paths.
Witnesses in the Jones cases have testified previously that Twiford’s behavior was simply that of an unfiltered elderly man who meant no harm. Days after the killings, Laurel residents who knew Twiford described the military veteran as a staple of the community who was always willing to lend a helping hand.
Nebraska law allows prosecutors to charge aiders and abettors with first-degree murder.
For Carrie Jones to be convicted of first-degree murder, the state has to prove Jason Jones committed first-degree murder; and that Carrie Jones participated or encouraged him to commit first-degree murder; that Jason Jones had the intent to commit first-degree murder; and that Carrie Jones knew about his intent or possessed the intent herself to kill Gene Twiford.
After the killings, Carrie Jones allegedly disposed of the clothes that her husband had been wearing. She also is accused of harboring Jason Jones at the couple’s home until he was arrested the day after the shootings.
Court documents indicate that attorneys for the state and defense engaged in plea negotiations during the pendency of Carrie Jones’ case, but to no avail. If she is found guilty as charged, Jones would face life in prison plus up to 70 years. She was arrested in December 2022, more than four months after the killings.
Once jury selection is completed, opening arguments and the evidence phase of the trial will be held at the Madison County Courthouse. Last December, District Judge Bryan Meismer granted a request by the defense to move Carrie Jones’ trial out of Cedar County out of concern she would not be able to receive a fair trial there.
Clerk of Cedar County District Court Janet Wiechelman said 110 Madison County residents were summoned for jury selection, 17 of whom were excused prior to Monday for conflicts. Forty-eight people were pre-selected as the group from which attorneys will select 12 jurors and four alternates. The remaining 45 were placed on standby to replace any of the original 48 pre-selected jurors.
Meismer said some people may perceive jury duty as an inconvenience or imposition in their work and daily lives.
“Some see it as a sacrifice they are not willing to make and find ways to seek to avoid jury service,” the judge said. “It is my hope that you will see the service as being one of the highest civic responsibilities that you can perform. The right to a trial by jury and be judged by a jury of your peers is one of the cornerstones of our society.
“If you are selected to service this jury, I trust that upon the completion of your service, you will have the satisfaction knowing that you honorably fulfilled your responsibility.”
Meismer and attorneys for the state and defense asked the venire a handful of questions tapping into their qualifications to serve on the jury. Prospective jurors were then pulled for individual, private questioning about their knowledge of the Jones cases and whether they are able to be fair and impartial.
Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Sandra Allen told the group that attorneys were not trying to pry into their personal lives but instead were doing the necessary work to find the most qualified jurors.
Jason Jones, meanwhile, was convicted at his own trial in Dakota County last September of four counts each of first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony, plus two counts of second-degree arson. Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty against Jason Jones, who has a mitigation hearing scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 20.
Jason Jones — who is jailed at the Nebraska Department of Corrections’ Reception and Treatment Center in Lincoln without bail — is listed as a defense witness in his wife’s case and is expected to testify at some point during her trial.
