Judge hears arguments for moving Laurel quadruple homicide case to new county

HARTINGTON, Nebraska (KCAU)– A hearing was held in Cedar County for the man accused of murdering four people in Laurel, Nebraska, and a judge is considering moving the man’s trial to another county.

Jason Jones, 44, of Laurel, appeared in the Cedar County District Courthouse Thursday morning for multiple hearings, including a motion filed by Jones’ lawyers to move the trial to another county.

The defense team for Jason Jones cited a survey of potential jurors in Cedar County , which found more than half of respondents believe Jones is guilty of the murder of four people on August 4, 2022 .

The victims were identified as Michele Ebeling, 53, Gene Twiford, 86, Janet Twiford, 85, and Dana Twiford, 55.

Jones faces 10 charges. They are four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree arson charges, and four counts of the use of a firearm to commit a felony. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in May 2023.

District Judge Bryan Meismer said he will review potential counties in Nebraska to move the trial to, like Hamilton County. The defense also requested limiting the use of certain information regarding the victims during the trial.

Judge Meismer did not rule on either request. A trial date has been set for Jason Jones for Sep. 9.

If convicted, Jason Jones faces the death penalty after he was accused of killing four people in two homes and then trying to set the houses on fire.

Jason Jones’ wife, Carrie, also faces charges, charged with first-degree murder along with accessory to a felony and tampering with evidence. She was also scheduled to have hearings Thursday, but those were moved to May 20. One of those hearings included a pretrial conference that had already been continued from early February .

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