CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (TCD) — A 22-year-old man was recently convicted of shooting and killing his parents and 19-year-old sister in 2021 and staging it as a home invasion.
On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at approximately 8:23 a.m., Cedar Rapids police officers responded to a home in the 4400 block of Oak Leaf Court NE to a report of a shooting. There, officers and first responders reportedly located four victims with gunshot wounds.
Three of those victims, Jan Jackson, 61, Melissa Jackson, 68, and Sabrina Jackson, were pronounced dead at the scene. The fourth victim, Alexander Jackson, was reportedly taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to the foot. Officers located each of the victims in different rooms of the house.
At the scene, police recovered a Browning .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle from the home that was allegedly used in the fatal shooting.
Alexander Jackson was allegedly the one who called the police, reporting that an intruder broke into their home and started shooting. He told police the sound of gunfire woke him up and he was shot in the foot as he tried to fend off the intruder. When investigators searched the house, there was reportedly no evidence of a break-in and security cameras around the neighborhood showed no intruders. Daily Iowan reports.
Investigators also reportedly found a palm print on the recovered weapon linked to Alexander Jackson. He was arrested and charged with three counts of first degree murder and jailed in Linn County Jail, records show.
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, Alexander Jackson, a former University of Iowa business student, was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder after six hours of deliberation, the Daily Iowan reports. He is due to be sentenced on March 3 and faces life imprisonment.
According to the Gazette, Alexander Jackson never admitted to fatally shooting his family members, and no clear motive was ever established. Upon reading the verdict, he reportedly showed no emotion.
After the verdict, Kay Jackson, Jan’s sister, and her daughter, Danielle Jackson Parsons, reportedly said, “Alex wanted the world to think he was a victim of this horrific crime, but we know that’s not the case, and now everyone knows the truth about what happened that day. »
They added: “Alex murdered three members of our family and this pain will never go away. Jan, Melissa and Sabrina were loved. They will live on in our hearts and in the hearts of those who knew them forever. »
FOLLOWING:
DAILY TRUE CRIME: THE PODCAST covers high-profile, under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on TikTok.
