Investigators arrested Jason A. Jones, who has lived on Elm Street in Laurel since at least 2019, after a pair of pieces of evidence and a gun left at the scene of two house fires Thursday morning were linked to him, according to an affidavit for research. warrant filed in Cedar County.

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4 dead at 2 separate crime scenes 3 blocks apart in Laurel, Nebraska authorities say

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Authorities found the first of four bodies about 3 a.m. Thursday after responding to a reported explosion at 209 Elm St., according to the Nebraska State Patrol. Michel Ebeling, a 53-year-old resident, was found dead of two gunshot wounds at the home, according to the patrol. Another fire was reported three blocks away at about 9:30 a.m., according to court records, although Col. John Bolduc, the state patrol’s superintendent, said the fires were believed to have started around the same time. At the scene of the second fire, authorities found Gene Twiford, 86. his wife Janet Twiford, 85; and their daughter Dana Twiford, 55. All three lived in the home at 503 Elm St. and were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds, State Patrol Investigator Michael Henry said in the search warrant affidavit. At Ebeling’s home, where authorities first responded, investigators found three receipts — including one for gas at the local Rath’s Mini Mart, another for a six-gallon gas can at a Sioux City retail store. The credit card used for both purchases belongs to Jones, Henry said in the affidavit. In the Twifords’ home, police found a .57-caliber Ruger pistol, a gun magazine and a Molotov cocktail, Henry said. Investigators determined that Jones is the registered owner of the gun. He had bought it in February 2021. Security footage from the Mini Mart showed Jones filling up two gas cans there about 8 p.m. Wednesday, Henry said in the affidavit. Police arrested Jones, who lived across the street from Ebeling, at his home about 2:30 a.m. Friday, Bolduc said at a morning news conference at the city’s fire station. No one else was home when Jones was arrested. Bolduc said Jones had severe burns to “a large part of his body” at the time of his arrest, apparently from fires started in the victims’ homes. He was airlifted to CHI St. Elizabeth in Lincoln, where he remains in serious condition. State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas said he was unaware of any prior contact law enforcement may have had with Jones prior to his arrest Friday. Prosecutors have formally charged Jones with four counts of first-degree murder, along with two counts of first-degree arson and four counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. A Cedar County judge appointed the Nebraska Public Defender Commission to represent Jones. The commission’s lead attorney had no comment Friday. Any connection between the victims and Jones — other than their proximity along the tree-lined road — remains unclear. At Friday’s press conference, Bolduc declined to share a suspected motive. “I want to acknowledge the indescribable sadness that this community is experiencing right now,” Bolduc said. “And that will be compounded by the betrayal of trust they will feel because a member of the community here has allegedly committed these crimes.” A Nebraska State Patrol cruiser sits in front of the home in Laurel where three people were found dead Thursday morning. The murders of four people in two separate homes have shocked the small community. Margery A. Beck, Associated Press Keith Knudsen, the city’s mayor who spent Friday visiting his day job at a Laurel bank, said the close-knit community, which he described as an extended family, had received the day’s news with a sense of sadness at the loss. and relief for the arrest of Jones. He said he was surprised by the news Friday morning that the alleged killer was a local resident, the latest in a series of developments that have rocked the city since 3 a.m. Thursday. “It’s tragic that it’s happening in a small community,” he said. “It’s all still pretty fresh.” Bolduc applauded the efforts of first responders and, in particular, thanked the fire crews who he said “preserved the evidence that led us directly” to Jones. It is unclear whether Jones, who lived at 206 Elm St., ever left Laurel after the crimes. Bolduc faced scrutiny from reporters on Friday for unclear guidance from authorities on whether local businesses should go into lockdown. “We were limited to the data we had at the time,” he said Friday. “Certainly, with 60-plus law enforcement officers in town yesterday, we felt the community was pretty safe.” Bolduc also shied away from his agency’s warning Thursday about a black man they said was seen driving a silver sedan away from Laurel in the wake of the incident. Jones, the State Patrol confirmed, is white. “We don’t think it’s the same person,” Bolduc said. “But we would like to speak to this person as a witness if we are able to identify them. But, certainly, as information developed, that lead became less important.” Journal Star reporters Lori Pilger and Chris Dunker contributed to this report.

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        The most dangerous cities in Nebraska

Dangerous cities in Nebraska

See how your hometown ranks among the most dangerous cities in Nebraska. The scores are determined according to the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents in cities of at least 10,000, with violent crime classified as murder, violent rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The numbers are for 2019, the most recent year for which the FBI provides data.

6. South Sioux City

With 30 violent crimes in 2019 and a population of 12,771 (the smallest on our list), the city in northeast Nebraska had 2.35 violent crimes per 1,000 people. Photo: South Sioux City RV Park on the Missouri River. FILE PHOTO OF PRESS CONNECTOR

5. Scottsbluff

The city of 15,862 had 53 violent crimes for a rate of 3.34 per 1,000 in 2019. Photo: Gering Police Officer Jordan McBride talks with Scottsbluff Police Officer Michael Modeac as he uploads crime scene tape at the scene of a gunfight in Scottsbluff in June 2021. STAR-HERALD FILE PHOTO

4. North Platte

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