What could possibly drive a young man to commit an unimaginable act against his own family? On our one-year anniversary episode of Crime Connoisseurs, we unravel the perplexing case of the Jackson family murders in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We start with the chilling 911 call from Alexander Jackson, who claimed an intruder had broken into their Oakleaf Court Northeast home and fatally shot his parents and sister. Yet, as inconsistencies in his account mounted and forensic evidence painted a different picture, suspicion turned inward. With detailed discussions on the initial police response and the dark secrets within the Jackson family, we question the true narrative behind this gruesome tragedy.
Joining us is Dr. Kelly Cruz, the Associate State Medical Examiner, whose expert testimony on the fatal injuries sustained by Jan, Melissa, and Sabrina Jackson provides crucial insights into the case. The defense asserts that Alex Jackson is a victim, emphasizing his own gunshot wound and the supposed home invasion. But the prosecution challenges this narrative, highlighting potential staging of the 911 call and damning forensic findings. Through gripping courtroom exchanges and a look at hidden family tensions, we piece together a comprehensive look at one of Cedar Rapids' most shocking cases.
What could possibly drive a young man to commit an unimaginable act against his own family? On our one-year anniversary episode of Crime Connoisseurs, we unravel the perplexing case of the Jackson family murders in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We start with the chilling 911 call from Alexander Jackson, who claimed an intruder had broken into their Oakleaf Court Northeast home and fatally shot his parents and sister. Yet, as inconsistencies in his account mounted and forensic evidence painted a different picture, suspicion turned inward. With detailed discussions on the initial police response and the dark secrets within the Jackson family, we question the true narrative behind this gruesome tragedy.
Joining us is Dr. Kelly Cruz, the Associate State Medical Examiner, whose expert testimony on the fatal injuries sustained by Jan, Melissa, and Sabrina Jackson provides crucial insights into the case. The defense asserts that Alex Jackson is a victim, emphasizing his own gunshot wound and the supposed home invasion. But the prosecution challenges this narrative, highlighting potential staging of the 911 call and damning forensic findings. Through gripping courtroom exchanges and a look at hidden family tensions, we piece together a comprehensive look at one of Cedar Rapids' most shocking cases.
Emergency. Someone broke into our house. Our address is 4414 Oakleaf Court, north East. I've been shot. My other family has been shot. I need help immediately. Okay, I'm getting Cedar Rapids on the line here. I've been shot in the foot. Okay, sir, stay in the foot. Okay, sir, sir, stay on the line. It would be nice to be answering. Give them the address right away 911,. What's the address of the emergency? 4414 Oakleaf Court, northeast. Okay, what's going on? Someone broke in. Okay, I've been shot.
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You've been shot, I've been shot. Okay, hold on just a second. Are they still there? No, they left.
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Welcome back Crime Connoisseurs. I'm your host, grace D, and no, you're not losing it. Today is Saturday. I know what you're thinking. Wait a minute. What's going on? We just got a case three days ago and you're right on that. But today is a special day. Today is one year of crime connoisseurs. So to celebrate the special day, I have a chilling case that happened just three years ago today and you get to listen ad-free. And you get to listen ad-free We'll be discussing the shocking case of a triple family murder.
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The murders left an unforgettable mark on the small community in Iowa where the heinous crimes took place. This is the case of the Jackson family. We'll be right back To grasp the full scope of the tragedy. It is imperative to first understand the background of the Jackson family. The family consisted of Jan and Melissa Jackson, their son Alexander, alex and their daughter Sabrina, as well as their extended family members living in a quaint house on the outskirts of the small town. Known for their tight-knit nature, the Jacksons were active members of the community, involved in local events and widely regarded as a loving family.
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On a seemingly ordinary day in the quiet town of Cedar Rapids, iowa, first responders would respond to a scene that was anything but ordinary. The ferocity of the crime shook the very foundations of the small town. As details of the investigation began to emerge, authorities were faced with a complex web of evidence that pointed to a potential suspect. Web of evidence that pointed to a potential suspect. The killer's motive remained unclear, leaving many to speculate on the possible reasons behind such a heinous act. The community came together to mourn the loss of the Jackson family, holding candlelight vigils and fundraisers to support the remaining family members. The tragedy sparked a conversation about the importance of mental health awareness and the need for tighter security measures in residential areas. As the investigation into the Jackson family murders continued, questions lingered about the perpetrator's identity and the possibility of justice being served. The case remains a chilling reminder of the dark side of human nature and the devastating impact it can have on innocent lives.
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On June 15, 2021, alexander Jackson called 911, saying that he and another member of his family had been shot and he needed help to the family's Oakleaf Court Northeast home. You heard a brief clip of that 911 call. In the beginning of this episode, he told the dispatcher on the call that an intruder had broken into their home and that he was shot in the foot. The dispatcher asked him several times who all was in the house with him and if they were okay. Jackson seemed to have a difficult time answering the questions, but it was assumed that he was in shock between the break-in and being shot. The call lasted 15 minutes.
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When police arrived at the home at 8.31 am they found Jackson on the floor with a gunshot wound to his foot. Someone had shot his father, jan Jackson, five times. Officers, while evaluating the shocking scene, asked Jackson if anyone else was home. He said yes, his sister, sabrina, was in her room. They asked if she was okay and he responded. Quote I think so. End quote. When three officers entered the back basement door, they saw Jan Jackson on the floor near a sofa with blood on his mouth and body. They realized that he was dead.
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Police asked Jackson about the intruder and what had happened. He began telling the officers a similar version of events that he told the dispatcher, except the story had inconsistencies from the start. The dispatcher asked him more than once to describe the intruder who had shot him. Jackson could only describe the suspect as a black male wearing black clothing and green shoes. Jackson claimed he was sleeping on the family's porch when he heard gunshots and saw the intruder. The intruder allegedly shot Jackson in the foot. Police searched the home to clear the scene, not knowing where the supposed intruder went. They didn't find any forced entry or signs of a struggle and things seemed to be in place. While searching the home, the officers not only found Jan deceased but also his wife Melissa and their daughter Sabrina, all in separate bedrooms with gunshot injuries. They were all dead, leaving Alex Jackson as the sole survivor of his family.
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The family was shot with a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle found in the house. Police found numerous shell casings in the house from the unique Browning rifle that can fire 11 bullets without having to reload. Jackson told the police that he and his dad were cleaning it the night before. As investigators dug deeper into the case, they uncovered a web of secrets and hidden resentments within the Jackson family. Jackson became the prime suspect and the evidence against him was mounting. But what could have driven a seemingly ordinary young man to commit such a heinous crime? Surveillance footage from both neighbors' homes and the Jackson residence showed no one entering or leaving the murder
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scene. Investigators Matt Denlinger and Sarah Lucina grilled Jackson for hours at the hospital when he was being treated for the gunshot injury to his foot. They also spoke with him in a short interview later that night at the police department told Jackson numerous times they didn't believe his version of events that a masked male intruder with dark clothes and green shoes came into the Jackson home at 4414 Oak Leaf Court, northeast, during the early morning hours, shot his dad, mom and sister and then shot him in the foot during a struggle over the .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle that belonged to the Jacksons. During the recorded interview, lucina said quote. There's no proof of anyone coming and going from your house. End quote. She told Jackson, if there was no connection between the family and the alleged intruder and he was just coming in to murder people because nothing was stolen, then he would have to get lucky to find a house with a gun he could use to commit the crime. She said quote. You can't sit there and look me in the eye and tell me that's what happened end quote. However, jackson did just that throughout the interviews. He also didn't exactly answer their questions. For a decent amount of the interview Both investigators were empathetic about the frustrations of bad grades, father's expectations and other family issues. They asked if he might be having anxiety, mental health or sexual orientation issues or bad thoughts, jackson. They were just trying to figure out what happened and wanted to give him an opportunity to talk because there was no evidence of forced entry into the house and no evidence of an unknown intruder. Lucina said they wanted to understand because something bad happened and they weren't there to
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judge him. Jackson had been given fentanyl for pain but was coherent and he said nothing happened. He was close to his family. They had dinner that night and watched a movie. He and his dad had cleaned the rifle that night because the last time they used it the gun jammed. Jackson said he was sleeping on the screened-in porch and woke up to the sound of about 10 gunshots. He ran downstairs and saw the intruder and then his dad on the floor. He started wrestling the man for the gun and he was shot in the foot. He described the intruder as a black male wearing all black and green shoes as a black male wearing all black and
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green shoes. At one point Jackson said he didn't know if he shot himself during the struggle, meaning he may have been the one who pulled the trigger, or if the intruder did it. Jackson said he thought the intruder ran out and he crawled to his basement bedroom to get his phone to call 911 and found a belt to use as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He said he saw his sister in the bed. The door to her bedroom that was next to his was open, but he didn't know if she was hurt. Denlinger said everyone was shot in the head except him, which quote makes no sense at all. End quote. Jackson said quote, I didn't do it, okay. End quote. Lacena said it looked like Jackson had killed his entire family in cold blood, without an explanation. Jackson said he wanted the guy found. Lucina told Jackson quote, we found him. End quote. He responded quote, you did, it wasn't me.
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End quote. The investigators also met with Jackson at the department after his treatment at the hospital after 8 pm on June 15th and attempted one more time to find out what happened that morning. Demlinger told him they had reviewed the videos from the surveillance cameras at his home and the neighbor's home and none of them showed anyone coming or going from the house. But Jackson stuck to his story. Lucina then told him he wasn't going home. He was being charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Jackson was booked on the three counts of first-degree murder that night the same day that the murders happened at the Lynn County Jail. The following day, he made a brief initial court appearance and bail was set at
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$3 million. This case marked the first known triple homicide in Cedar Rapids since 1982 and only the second since at least 1959, according to Cedar Rapids Police Department spokesman Greg Bulow. According to Cedar Rapids Police Department spokesman Greg Bulow, the trial that followed was a media sensation, with the small town of Iowa captivated by the proceedings. The prosecution presented a compelling case, highlighting the motive, the forensic evidence and the testimonies of witnesses. On the other hand, the defense argued that there was insufficient evidence to prove Jackson's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial began on January 10, 2023, and presented a series of forensic evidence that painted a damning picture. The prosecution highlighted the complexity of reloading the Browning rifle, arguing it was unlikely a random intruder could have operated it without prior experience. They also pointed out Jackson's lack of attempts to check on his mother and his sister during the 911 call, suggesting he knew they were already dead during the 911 call, suggesting he knew they were
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already dead. During the trial, the prosecution argued that Alex Jackson was the perpetrator of the triple homicide. The main points of their case included the lack of forced entry, gunshot residue, inconsistent statements and motive. Prosecutors suggested that Jackson was struggling academically and feared his father would force him to move out or get a job. At the time of the murders, jackson reportedly only had about $30 to his name, adding to his potential desperation, despite his achievements like becoming an Eagle Scout and a seemingly normal upbringing. The prosecution suggested that Jackson's fear of independence and academic failures could have driven him to commit the unthinkable. When police arrived on the scene, there was no signs of forced entry or any indication that the home had been burglarized, suggesting to them that the perpetrator was someone within the household. Investigators tested for gunshot residue and revealed residue was found on Jackson's hands, indicating that he had recently fired a gun. Jackson's account of the events changed multiple times during police interviews. Furthermore, forensic analysis revealed two palm prints on the murder weapon belonging to Jackson, as well as an unidentifiable partial Blood splatter. Analysis indicated Jackson had shot himself near his bed, not in the downstairs living room as
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he claimed. Associate State Medical Examiner, dr Kelly Cruz, performed the autopsies on Jan Melissa and Sabrina Jackson. Dr Cruz said Jan Jackson had five gunshot wounds to his chest area, neck and the back of his head. The gunshots injured his brain and other vital organs, and each individual shot could have been fatal. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. Jan also had a blunt force injury and a laceration to his face and inside his lower lip, which could have been from falling to the floor after
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being shot. Melissa Jackson died from two gunshot injuries to her head. She had one next to her left eye and another to the right temple area. The gunshot to her eye was fired at close range, which left soot to indicate that the gun was fired inches from her head. Both gunshots to her head entered her dura and brain. Either injury could have been fatal. Sabrina also died from multiple gunshot injuries. She had one to the left side of her torso which exited through her arm, and another shot to her left eye. The torso shot entered her abdominal cavity, injuring her liver, and exited her front stomach area. The gunshot to her eye injured her brain. Dr Cruz said that there was no soot or stifling in the wounds, so the gun wasn't fired at close range. Each of her injuries could have been fatal, but the one to her eye would have been more
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rapidly fatal. During Dr Cruz's testimony on the autopsies, jackson never looked at the television screens in the courtroom. He mostly looked down at a notepad in front of him. The defense maintained that Jackson consistently claimed innocence and that he was a victim of the home invasion and questioned the reliability of the surveillance footage and forensic interpretations. They also pointed to an unidentified third fingerprint on the rifle as a potential clue to another suspect. They argued his injury character and the lack of
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direct evidence. Jackson's gunshot wound to his foot was presented as evidence that he was attacked and a victim, not the perpetrator. The defense also painted a picture of Jackson as a non-violent, academically inclined young man with no history of violent behavior. They emphasized the absence of direct evidence such as eyewitness testimonies or definitive proof linking Jackson to the murders beyond reasonable doubt. Reasonable doubt the recording of Jackson's 911 call was a pivotal piece of evidence used by both sides to support their narratives. The prosecution suggested it was a calculated act, while the defense portrayed it as a genuine call for help. We started off with part of the call, but remember it was 15 minutes long. Take a listen to some part of the call, but remember it was 15 minutes long.
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Take a listen to some more of the call. Hello Alex, yep, I'm coming. I'm just talking on the radio too, okay, okay, do you remember what color shirts or what color hair that guy had Anything about him? Um, black. Do you think it was a black male or a black shirt? Okay, was it a long gun or was it a short gun like a handgun? A long gun? It was a long gun Like a rifle style. Yes, okay, okay. Yes, he says he's Okay. I've got them coming right there on Oakleaf Court, so they're almost there, okay where are you in the?
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house. Alex, downstairs, you're in the lower level. Okay, my room, in your room. Okay, are you able to meet them at the back door? Are you able to walk? If not, just stay in your room. I'm in my room.
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Okay, Alex Is that back door still wide open, maybe? Yeah, okay, I'm going a second. No, just you and your sister in the house, right? Yeah, no, parents or grandparents, animals. My mom's here too. Your mom is there too, yeah, okay. So you, your sister and your mom is there too, yeah, okay. So you, your sister and your mom yeah, oh, my gosh, no-transcript. Well, I don't see them. Okay, that's fine. I just want to make sure that. Have you seen?
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your mom.
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Do you hear it ringing? Yeah, the house number's ringing, yeah, okay, well, that's us calling. We're trying to get a hold of sister or mom just to make sure they're safe. I've got officers all around the house. I just want to make sure that I keep you on the line, okay? Nobody's answering that house phone. Are you sure? Anybody's home? They took me, okay, the sister. Did your sister have a cell phone? Yeah, do you know her number by heart? Do you know that? No, okay, you're doing good, alex. Alex, do you have any weapons downstairs, any guns, knives, anything like that? No, but there's a gun on the floor. That's not yours, it's ours, but we got shot by it. So he took your gun and shot you. Yes, okay, hold on just a second.
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Let me make sure I tell my officers this Hold on. The call continued to go on like that in a similar manner, from Alex not directly answering the dispatcher's questions and her having to ask the same questions over and over. To get a full picture for the officers coming in, I'll have the YouTube videos linked of the trial that it was all recorded all six days of it in the show notes. After listening to more of the call, do you lean more towards the prosecution's theory of it being calculated or the defense's theory of him genuinely calling for help? In closing arguments, the prosecutor stated that Jackson had never called for his mom or sister while on the line with 911 to check on them, saying that it was because he knew they were dead and not just injured. She also mentioned that blood splatter found near Jackson's bed, suggested that he'd shot himself there, not where he claimed that he encountered an intruder in the downstairs living room. The prosecutor stressed that a crime scene investigator had said the rifle would have required reloading during the murders. However, she stated that the Browning's unique reloading process made it unlikely for a first-time user like a random intruder who would have been able to accomplish this. However, people who lived in the house, who had experience with the gun would have known the intricacies. During the trial, there was testimony from an investigator with years of firearms training who had stated that the firearm was so unique to Lode they had to search online for a video tutorial to learn how to do so. Online for a video tutorial to learn how to do so.
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On January 25, 2023, after deliberating for five and a half hours over the course of two days, the jury had reached a verdict. Alexander Jackson was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder. Members of the Jackson family were in court throughout the trial and hear the verdict Under these charges. Iowa law mandates a life sentence. Because of what they described as the heinous and brutal nature of the murders, the prosecutors asked Judge Anderson to impose the life sentences consecutively. After the verdict was read, jackson seemed to have little to no emotion. First Assistant Lynn County Attorney Monica Slaughter told People quote he didn't blink when they read those verdicts the most stoic face I've ever seen. End quote. The Gazette reported Jan's sister, kay Jackson and her daughter Danielle Jackson Parsons said in the statement after the guilty verdict quote Alex wanted the world to think he was a victim of this horrendous crime, but we know that is not the case and now everyone knows the truth of what happened. That day, alex murdered three members of our family and that pain will never go away. Jan 2023, jackson was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the murders of his parents, jan and Melissa, and his sister, sabrina. Jackson showed no emotion during the sentencing and no family members gave victim impact statements. He was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the estates or heirs of his parents and sister.
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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'd heard other jurors discussing the case. Documents. A juror said they'd heard other jurors discussing the case Before the jury found Jackson guilty. A juror allegedly said Jackson was quote guilty as sin. End quote. The 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. 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. Victim impact statements. Judge Anderson denied the defense's request for a new trial.
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The aftermath of the Jackson family murders served as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing every moment with loved ones. The sense of unity that emerged from the tragedy was a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable loss. One of Sabrina Jackson's former Kennedy High School teachers has established a scholarship fund in her name. The scholarship supports travel expenses for Kennedy students interested in participating in the annual school-sponsored trip to Japan, which Sabrina attended. Donations to the fund can be made to the Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation, with Sabrina H Jackson Memorial Scholarship being titled under the Tribute Name section. I will have the link to the donation page in the source material.
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The case generated significant public interest. Given his background, some viewed Jackson's actions as an anomaly, while others stressed the importance of following evidence over behavioral assumptions, and that's the case of the Jackson family murders that occurred three years ago to the day. Be sure to follow Crime Connoisseurs on Instagram and now TikTok at Crime Connoisseurs. All one word If you enjoyed the podcast, please like and subscribe, and share it with your friends and family. Crime connoisseurs can be found wherever you listen to your podcasts. Thank you all for listening and celebrating the first year of crime connoisseurs with me. In the meantime, keep it classy, connoisseurs, and I'll catch you on the next case. Thank you, we'll see you next time.