Alexander Jackson was a twenty year old from Iowa who would murder his parents and sister
According to court documents Alexander Jackson would call 911 and tell the operator that a masked intruder had broken into his family home and shot his parents and sister as well as shooting him. When police showed up they found Alexander with a bullet wound to his foot however his story of the masked intruder would soon fall apart
Apparently Alexander Jackson and his father were involved in an argument where he was told to find a job or move out. Instead of going job hunting Jackson would fatally shoot his father, 61-year-old Jan Jackson, his 68-year-old mother, Melissa Jackson, and nineteen year old sister Sabrina Jackson in various rooms throughout the house
Alexander Jackson would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole
Alexander Jackson Now
Name:
Alexander Ken Jackson
Offender Number:
6316129
Sex:
M
Birth Date:
09/20/2000
Location:
Iowa State Penitentiary
Offense:
MURDER 1ST DEGREE
TDD/SDD *:
LIFE
Commitment Date:
03/07/2023
Alexander Jackson Videos
Alexander Jackson Case
Alexander Jackson, the Cedar Rapids man convicted of killing both of his parents and his sister, requested a new trial, which has been rejected. Jackson is being sentenced to life in prison.
The jury found Jackson guilty on all three counts of first-degree murder back in January.
However, Jackson’s defense has asked for a new trial- citing alleged misconduct from the jurors in the case. According to court documents, a juror said they heard other jurors discussing the case.
Before the jury found Alexander Jackson guilty, a juror allegedly said Jackson was “guilty as sin.”
Prosecutor Monica Slaughter pushed back and said many of the defense’s concerns came up during jury selection and the court addressed them. She said they removed several jurors from the pool because they knew too much about the case.
“It went back and forth, and our ultimate jury panel that we had for this case was fair, impartial and unbiased,” Slaughter said. “Both parties had an opportunity to examine all of those jurors during jury selection for days, and what we were left with was a fair and impartial jury.”
Judge Lars Anderson said, “no evidence has been brought forward” the jury was anything but “fair and impartial.”
Jackson’s defense team said such an act is an “arrest of judgment,” requesting that no judgment be delivered upon a guilty verdict.
The motion for a new trial also claims the court wrongfully allowed out-of-court statements to prove responsive conduct.
Alexander Jackson’s defense says the court allowed an officer and investigator to testify about statements allegedly made to them by workers and neighbors in the area.
Defense lawyers said prosecutors could have called the workers and neighbors to testify.
“The thing that is so frustrating about allowing in that kind of testimony is that’s the crux of our defense and the crux of the state’s case. The crux of the state’s case is that there was no intruder,” Defense Lawyer Tyler Johnson said. “When jurors hear a police officer say that people say they didn’t see it, that’s what sticks with them, that nobody saw it. We weren’t given the opportunity to confront those people.”
Slaughter said the witnesses had nothing to offer and did not “bear testimony” against Jackson.
“There’s no right to confront witnesses who didn’t witness anything and that aren’t being used to bear evidence or allegations or claims against the defendants,” Slaughter said. “There’s no confrontation issue here under the sixth amendment because nothing was offered, which was the point that the state was trying to make about the officers and the investigators in this case and a thorough job of canvassing an area where they received pertinent information.”
Defense lawyers also said Jackson’s case was highly publicized and likely created prejudice in the jury since the trial took place in Cedar Rapids. The defense filed a motion for a change of venue last spring, saying the case was highly publicized with inflammatory social media comments.
At the time, the court denied that request on Thursday, saying there has been widespread media coverage of the case but that it has not been inflammatory and “sheer volume” is insufficient to move the trial.
Judge Lars Anderson said many of the issues raised by the defense were things he had already ruled on during the trial.
“We’re not plowing new ground here,” he said.
Alexander Jackson’s defense team also tried to argue prosecutors did not present enough evidence presented at trial to prove Jackson is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
During the trial, the defense argued that a masked intruder, not Jackson, shot and killed his family members.
“Even have applied the weight of the evidence standard to the issue of identity. Certainly, there is not a greater weight of evidence out there to establish that somebody other than Mr. Jackson,” Anderson said. “Again, this went to a jury, and this is not one of those rare cases where the court would override the jury’s verdict and, based upon the weight of the evidence, being contrary to the jury’s verdict.”
Alexander Jackson was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder. Under that charge, Iowa law mandates a life sentence. Because of what they described as the “heinous ad brutal nature” of the murders, prosecutors asked Judge Anderson to impose the life sentences consecutively.
Slaughter described how each victim was shot multiple times, from different distances, including up close, to ensure they died. Prosecutors also outlined how Jackson tried to stage the scene and manipulate evidence by shooting himself in the foot.
“This set of murders shook this community to its core. It had been since the early 80s that there was a triple homicide, especially one of this nature in which a family member executed his entire family,” Slaughter said. “If that type of crime does not warrant, scream and need for consecutive sentences, I don’t know if there’s another type of crime that would demand, request, or require that from this court.”
Practically, there is not much difference since a life sentence is a life sentence, but prosecutors and Judge Anderson said the three consecutive sentences are a message. One for each life killed. Alex’s mom Melissa, dad Jan and sister, Sabrina.
“I believe consecutive sentences are appropriate because each murder involves a separate event with time in between,” Anderson said. “In the end, it makes no difference to how much time Mr. Jackson serves in prison. But I do think it’s an important symbolic gesture.”
When given a chance to speak in court, Jackson declined. Some Jackson family members were in the courtroom for the sentencing but did not give victim impact statements.
ackson can appeal his life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole. During the sentencing hearing on Friday, his attorneys said several times they plan to do so.