Housing costs continue to add up in murder cases

LAUREL — A year after a quadruple murder here shocked area residents, Cedar County is still collecting bills from the incident.

Cedar County has spent almost $165,000 in costs stemming from the Laurel murder cases.

Gene Twiford, Janet Twiford, Dana Twiford and Michele Shankles-Ebeling tragically lost their lives on Aug. 4, 2022.

While there can be no accounting for the cost of human life, about $165,000 has been attributed so far to the apprehension and prosecution of suspects Jason Jones, and his wife, Carrie, in the Laurel deaths.

Those costs are expected to rise exponentially as the judicial phase of the case is just getting underway.

First responders were called to Shankles-Ebeling’s home at 209 Elm St., Laurel, around 3 a.m. Aug. 4, 2022, to the report of an explosion and house fire. About five hours later, local law enforcement on scene noticed smoke coming from the Twiford home just a few blocks away. Although the presence of smoke didn’t appear for several hours, evidence suggests the Twiford fire actually started first.

All of the victims were found to have gunshot wounds.

Jason Jones, 43, Laurel, was apprehended at his home the morning after the murders with severe burns over his body and was treated at a Lincoln hospital for several weeks before being released Oct. 27 to the Nebraska Department of Corrections.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and he’s charged with four counts of murder and arson among other weapons charges.

His wife, Carrie Jones, 44, was arrested in December and faces one murder charge, as well as aiding and abetting, and tampering with evidence for her alleged role in the other murder cases.

A bill for more than $124,000 was paid to the security firm that guarded Jason Jones while he was at the hospital recovering from burn injuries.

The sheriff’s office receives monthly bills from Antelope County which houses Carrie Jones at about $50 per day. The bill for her housing so far totals $9,305, said Sheriff Larry Koranda.

He said Cedar County rarely houses female prisoners. Antelope County’s facility is better equipped and that’s why she’s housed there instead of at the Cedar County jail.

The sheriff’s office also receives monthly bills from the Nebraska Department of Corrections to house Jason Jones at more than $90 per day. So far, the bill for his housing totals almost $30,000 and includes some minor medical care.

Koranda said the state correctional facility has more services to handle his medical and security needs.

Other sheriff’s office costs will be absorbed by the department’s budget such as manpower to transport both Joneses to and from court hearings, and to take Jason Jones to medical appointments as needed.

Costs related to the Laurel murder cases will be paid through the county’s inheritance fund, said County Clerk Dave Dowling.

The fund, derived from inheritance taxes paid from probate cases in Cedar County Court, stands at more than $3 million.

The fund averages about $500,000 income per year and funds have been used in the past to help construct the courthouse addition, for road repairs, road equipment, and to help construct the Cedar County Transit building, Dowling said.

Lawyer’s fees, subpoena fees, and other court-related bills will be approved by Judge Bryan Meismer before being sent to the clerk’s office and eventually land on the desk of the county commissioners to approve as claims.

Meismer approved a billable hourly rate for Carrie Jones’ attorneys at $145 per hour for Doug Stratton and $95 per hour for Nate Stratton. The father-son attorney duo are from Norfolk.

The county has a budget line item for court-appointed attorney fees set at $100,000. Exceeding the amount in the fund, will cause Dowling to dip into the inheritance fund to make up the difference, he said.

Jason Jones is being represented by Todd Lancaster of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy. The commission, formed by statute in 1995, is funded entirely through court fees with no taxpayer-funded monies.

The commission was created for the purpose of providing property tax relief to counties required to provide legal representation to indigent defendants charged with first-degree murder and serious violent or drug-related felonies.

Janet Wiechelman, Cedar County’s district court clerk, said the county does not pay any attorney’s fees to the commission and some of the costs are covered.

Jury fees, subpoena service, witness mileage and per diem are covered under another line item in the budget for district court operations. None of these bills have been submitted to the county for payment yet as the case hasn’t progressed to that stage.

Since the case is being prosecuted by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, there are no associated attorney’s fees there. The only cost would be any related to discovery, Wiechelman said.

It’s too early to tell what the final tally to the cost of the Laurel murders will be as it could be years before a trial in either of the Joneses’ cases, Wiechelman said.

Even after trials are over, the appeals process could add even more ongoing expense to the county years later, she said.