Doll was center of attention during Wednesday testimony

DAKOTA CITY – There was an odd item left on Michele Ebeling’s kitchen table when investigators were processing her home after her death and house fire – a doll.

That 23-inch doll covered in soot, its red dress burnt in places, came with some equally odd testimony at the closing of Wednesday’s testimony in the trial against 44-year-old Jason Jones, Laurel.

Jones is charged with four counts each of first-degree murder in the death of Ebeling, Gene Twiford, Janet Twiford, and Dana Twiford on Aug. 4, 2002. Wednesday’s testimony marked the fifth day of prosecutionproduced evidence in Jones’ trial in which he is accused of shooting each of the four victims and then setting their two homes on fire. The trial was moved to Dakota County due to extensive media coverage and other issues.

Investigator Tyler Mann of the Nebraska State Patrol testified about the discovery of the doll, along with a tactical backpack and another tooltype bag while processing the crime scene at Ebeling’s home in Laurel. The investigator said the discovery came toward the end of evidence collection, around 9:30 p.m. the day of the murders.

“I noticed it earlier but did not address it at the time. Throughout the majority of the day, I’m processing other evidence and did not know this was involved until the final search of the residence,” he said.

The doll was out of place and Mann learned it did not belong to Ebeling or her fiancee living in the home, Brian Welch.

Upon cross examination, Mann said a DNA swab had not been taken from the doll. But he was made aware through examination of text messages between Jason Jones and his wife, Carrie, that Carrie had a collection of dolls. In those text messages, Mann confirmed Carrie Jones had a doll facing the Ebeling home “to watch it.”

“Wouldn’t it be important to know if it is hers?” Defense Attorney Matt McDonald asked Mann.

But under questioning by Prosecutor Sandra Allen, Mann agreed it’s likely either Jason Jones or Carrie Jones’ DNA could be on the doll since it was in their shared home, across the street from Ebeling’s.

In his opening argument, McDonald said that the Jones’ believed that Ebeling and Welch were possessed.

Carrie Jones has not been charged with Ebeling’s murder, instead charged with the murder of Gene Twiford, an accessory to the crime and tampering with evidence. Prosecutors allege that she pushed her husband to murder Gene Twiford because of sexually-charged comments he made to her.

In cross examination thus far in Jason Jones’ trial, his lawyers have suggested that Carrie Jones may be responsible for Ebeling’s murder.

Along with the doll, the black backpack was examined and Mann discovered an Xbox external hard drive, personal hygiene items including a razor head, as well as several receipts for purchases of two gas cans, gasoline, a camping backpack, and food. One of the receipts listed a partial Mastercard number along with the cardholder’s name: Jason A. Jones.

Mann said he immediately called his supervisor with the new information about Jones possibly being connected to the crime.

Much of Wednesday’s testimony came from Erin Linde, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies on Ebeling and the Twifords on Aug. 5, 2022. For several hours, jurors and victims’ family members endured graphic photos, and details of each victims’ multiple gunshot wounds and resulting injuries.

Linde said Janet Twiford’s death was immediate due to a bullet to her brain stem area while the others would have been dead within a matter of seconds, at most, minutes, with multiple gunshot wounds to the forehead, chest and arms.

“For a large number of the lethal and potential wounds, you’re looking at seconds,” she said.

The three Twiford bodies were covered in soot - even Dana Twiford’s teeth. However, toxicology and other examinations indicated Ebeling and the Twifords were dead prior to being exposed to fire, Linde said.

All of the bodies showed signs of burning. In Ebeling’s case, seconddegree burns covered about 30 percent of her body with significant skin “charring,” Linde said, including skin discoloration and a rolling up of skin tissue that had turned gray.

By the time Linde examined Janet Twiford’s body - the last of the day - it was starting to show signs of decomposition.

A forensic nurse collected a sexual assault kit on Dana Twiford as part of her autopsy which includes a swab for semen and DNA as well as a visual inspection. However, there were no signs or evidence she had been sexually assaulted.

Others who testified Wednesday included: - Adam Matzner, chief investigator of the Nebraska State Fire Marshal agency, who estimated the Twiford home fire started prior to Ebeling’s home fire or at about the same time. A clock in Dana Twiford’s bedroom stopped working a little after 3 a.m. This, and other factors, helped Matzner establish the timeline.

“The internal mechanism could be effected by heat to where the gear or mechanisms no longer operate. They literally freeze in time in some cases,” Matzner said.

He also said by the time firefighters were called to the home at 9:30 a.m., there was no active fire and only smoke present.

Matzner also deduced that the fragments of burnt cloth found in the Twiford yard was from someone who exited the home at the time of the fire and not from a rag inside a plastic bottle with a possible accelerant, also found on the scene.

After this discovery, investigators started looking for a suspect with potential burn injuries.

When Jason Jones was arrested, he was found to have severe burns over a large portion of his body and was hospitalized for about 12 weeks before his incarceration at the Nebraska Department of Corrections. Jones has waived his rights to appear at his own trial - in part due to his burn injuries and being unable to sit for long periods of time.

- Pedram Nabegh, Nebraska State Patrol investigator, was recalled to the witness stand. He was involved in casting a shoe print impression from the Twiford home, as well as attempting to locate any finger prints or swab for DNA on the outside patio area. He said the shoe print casting was never compared to anyone’s shoes which McDonald questioned on cross-examination. Nabegh said he could’ve requested comparison to the Jones’ shoes but didn’t.

He also provided some trajectory mapping of bullet defects found in the Twiford’s master bedroom dresser and mattress.

“I did not analyze what the position of the shooter was when the defect was created. I’m just showing and mapping what the defect was,” he said when questioned on cross examination.

He said the mattress was never opened to locate a bullet or fragments.

“I don’t have a good answer for you (as to why that wasn’t done),” he said. “It may have simply been that we didn’t think about opening it up.”

- Anthony Sattlefield, retired Nebraska State Patrol investigator, finished his testimony which started on Tuesday with information on the collection of evidence inside the Twiford home.