Leavenworth father facing capital murder charge related to killing of his 2 sons
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (WDAF) — A father accused of killing his two sons, ages 12 and 14, and abducting his two daughters, which prompted an AMBER Alert on Saturday is facing one count of capital murder related to the killing of his two boys, or two counts of first-degree murder in the alternative.
Leavenworth County District Attorney Todd Thompson, announced the charges against Donald Ray Jackson, Jr., 40 during a news conference on Tuesday.
A capitol murder conviction can result in the death penalty or life in prison without a chance for parole.
Related to the kidnapping of this two daughters, Jackson may face federal charges because it happened across state lines.
Jackson is currently in custody in Beckham County, Oklahoma. He’s awaiting extradition back to Kansas after authorities arrested him Saturday night in Erick, close to the state’s western border with Texas, about seven hours away from his home in Leavenworth.
On Saturday afternoon, relatives became suspicious when one of the boys didn’t show up for a soccer game and called authorities.
Shortly after, deputies with the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home and found an 12-year-old and 14-year-old boy dead.
The two girls, three-year-old Aven and seven-year-old Nora Jackson, were missing, which prompted authorities to active an AMBER Alert. After a few hours, the alert expanded to Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, since authorities didn’t know which direction Jackson was headed.
Moez Somrani was driving on Interstate 40 headed to Amarillo, Texas, when he spotted Jackson and his daughters inside a car.
“I got the AMBER Alert, and I got it again on the highway,” Somrani said. “I saw it, and I passed by and I saw a guy that matched the description.”
Police arrested Jackson and rescued the girls.
Back in Leavenworth, investigators told FOX4 that 12-year-old Austin and 14-year-old Logan were shot to death. The two were 7th and 8th grade students at Lansing Middle School.
Meanwhile, others in the community are wondering how to move forward after such a tragedy.
“It’s just sad. With everything going on in the world, this is really so sad,” Bridgette Sutton said.