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HARTINGTON – Supplemental juror questionnaires will be prepared in the next step in the case against a Laurel woman accused of murder.
In a hearing held through videoconference, Judge Bryan Meismer heard a progress update Monday morning from prosecutor Sandra Allen of the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, and Doug Stratton, Norfolk, defense attorney for 45-year-old Carrie Jones.
Carrie Jones appeared by videoconference as well, from the Boone County Jail where she is being housed.
The Cedar County District Court Clerk and the Madison County District Court Clerk will work together to put out some additional questions to the potential juror pool of 180 in the case. Meismer ruled in December that Jones’ case would be moved to Madison County out of an interest of expediency, fairness and an abundance of caution.
The trial is expected to start this summer and last three weeks. Juror selection may take place at an alternate location - possibly at a Madison school - due to the number of individuals involved, Meismer said.
Jones is accused of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and being an accessory to murder. Prosecutors say she pushed her husband, Jason Jones, to kill Gene Twiford because of sexually charged statements Twiford directed toward her over several years.
She is also accused of harboring her husband after the murders and disposing of the clothes he was wearing at the time.
Stratton told Meismer on Monday that he’s awaiting the transcript of Jason Jones’ trial to determine who may need to be deposed prior to Carrie Jones’ trial. He expects to wrap up depositions in the next month or two.
The next hearing date was set for April 28.
