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HARTINGTON — Just over three years after the quiet town of Laurel was shaken by the killing of four residents, the case is still far from over.
Carrie Jones, convicted earlier this month for her role in the tragedy, is now asking for a retrial.
Jones, 46, was found guilty Aug. 8 of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and acting as an accessory in the death of 86-year-old Gene Twiford.
Prosecutors argued she pressured her husband, Jason Jones, into carrying out the murders, then misled investigators, concealed his whereabouts and hid evidence by getting rid of the clothes he was we aring the night he committed the murders.
Carrie Jones has maintained her innocence, saying Twiford had sexually harassed her for years and insisting she played no role in the killings.
Her defense attorneys filed a motion Aug. 14, claiming her rights to a fair trial were violated and citing errors, insufficient evidence, and possible jury misconduct.
The filing opens another chapter in a case that has gripped northeast Nebraska since the violent events of Aug. 4, 2022, when Jason Jones killed Gene and Janet Twiford, their daughter, Dana, and neighbor, Michele Ebeling, before setting their homes on fire.
Jason Jones was convicted last year of four counts of first-degree murder. He now faces a possible death sentence. A three-judge panel will meet Nov. 20 to decide whether he should be executed or serve life in prison. That same day, Carrie Jones is scheduled to be sentenced — unless the court first grants her a new trial.
The courtroom proceedings promise to bring another wave of attention to Cedar County, where neighbors are still living with the memory of the tragedy that forever changed Laurel’s close-knit community.
