Jury selection begins in trial of Laurel man accused of quadruple homicide

Jury selection for the trial of a Nebraska man accused of quadruple homicide began in Dakota County on Monday.

Nearly 200 potential jurors filled a conference room at the Marriott Riverfront in South Sioux City.

That number will eventually be whittled down to 12, who will then decide whether defendant Jason Jones is guilty of four charges of first-degree murder, two charges of first-degree arson and four charges of the use of a firearm to commit a felony.

Jones has pled not guilty to all 10 charges.

In August 2022, Jones was arrested in connection with the deaths of four of his neighbors in Laurel, a northeast Nebraska town of 900 people.

The two homes where the victims lived were each set on fire.

When police found Jones, he was covered in severe burns. He remained in the hospital for more than two months.

In July, a judge granted Jones' request to not appear in person at his trial, due to his physical condition.

The trial was moved from Cedar County, where Laurel is located, to Dakota County, where a judge ruled that it would be easier to find jurors with limited prior knowledge of the case.

Monday, the judge asked potential jurors whether they held religious or personal beliefs about the death penalty that would inhibit them from rendering a verdict in the case.

About a dozen potential jurors raised their hands.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, a panel of three judges would decide his sentence.

Jury selection will wrap up in the coming days, and the trial is expected to last several weeks.

Jones’ wife, Carrie, was also arrested in connection to the case and faces charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

She is scheduled to appear in court in November.