KANSAS CITY, Mo. -Donald Jackson Jr. – who is accused of shooting his sons to death before fleeing the state with his daughters, triggering a multi-state amber alert – appeared in the Leavenworth County District Court Friday.
Jackson was arraigned “with his own death penalty court attorneys,” Leavenworth County District Attorney Todd Thompson said in a statement.
Jackson’s prosecution continued through June 7 at the request of his attorneys.
He’s facing capital murder charges and faces life in prison or possibly the death penalty for allegedly killing his sons — Austin, 12, and Logan, 14 — nearly two-and-a-half years ago.
When Jackson and his children failed to show up for a soccer game on Oct. 24, 2020, family members who went to check on their whereabouts found that the boys had been shot dead and the girls – Jackson 3 and 7 year olds – old daughters – were missing.
Several hours later, Jackson was stopped in Oklahoma, where he was arrested and the girls were safely recovered to be reunited with their family.
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For jurisdictions using the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online, or via the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Details and annual homicide data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
