Trial in quadruple murder case moved to new venue

A quadruple murder case in Cedar County District Court will be moved to a different venue for trial.

In the case against Jason A. Jones, the court is moving the trial to nearby Dakota County due to the notoriety of the case.

“The amount of publicity involved in this particular case in conjunction with the size of the community involved and the nature of the charge in question, there is no question that the potential jury pool will be affected in this case,” the order stated. “Cedar County is a county with a population of just over 8,300 as of the last census, and the information gathered from the preliminary jury questionnaire indicates that this particular case remains fresh in the minds of the residents here, even a year later.”

Another factor considered was that Cedar County already has a jury trial for a major felony this calendar year, further complicating the task of accumulating a qualified jury pool.

Jones faces charges connected to an August 2022 crime spree that left Gene Twiford, Janet Twiford, Dana Twiford and Michele Ebeling shot to death in their homes in the northeast Nebraska town of Laurel.

He’s charged with 10 felonies, including four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree arson and four counts of using a firearm to commit a felony.

The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 9, and will likely last three weeks.

The ruling found that Dakota County made the most sense for a change of venue, as it’s a reasonable distance from Cedar County at around 60 miles away and is similar in population to Cedar County with approximately 21,000 residents.

Dakota County also has two courtrooms, so other business in the courts will be minimally disrupted.