A man accused of killing four people in a small northeast Nebraska town has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges.
Jason Jones, 43, of Laurel, on Monday waived his right to appear in person at a May 22 arraignment and instead asked to enter written pleas of not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony and two counts of first-degree arson, The Sioux City Journal reported.
Jones is accused in the shooting deaths of Michele Ebeling, 53; Gene Twiford, 86; his wife, Janet Twiford, 85; and their daughter 55-year-old daughter, Dana Twiford, and setting the victims’ homes on fire.
Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Jones is convicted.
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Jones’ wife, Carrie Jones, is charged with one count of first-degree murder in relation to Gene Twiford’s death, tampering with physical evidence and being an accessory to a felony. She’s accused of helping her badly burned husband hide while authorities searched for him after the four deaths were discovered on Aug. 4, 2022.
Carrie Jones remains in custody on $1 million bond. She is scheduled for a May 22 arraignment.
Laurel is a community of less than 1,000 people, about 100 miles northwest of Omaha.
