LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — A Leavenworth, Kansas man charged in the killing of his two sons appeared in court Wednesday where it was announced the state intends to pursue the death penalty.
Donald Ray Jackson Jr., 43, was charged in 2020 with one count of capital murder. The boys were found dead on Oct. 24, 2020.
Jackson is accused of killing his 12 and 14-year-old sons Austin and Logan before fleeing the state with his two young daughters, which prompted an AMBER Alert.
The alert was first issued in Kansas and Missouri, but later expanded to Oklahoma and Arkansas. Hours later, Jackson was taken into custody in Beckham County, Oklahoma, after a truck driver spotted him on the highway.
During Wednesday’s arraignment, the court entered a plea of not guilty, according to the Leavenworth County Attorney’s Office.
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His defense team announced they will not have available jury time until maybe 2025.
A motions hearing is scheduled to begin Oct. 30, 2023, at 9 a.m.