Trial for Cedar Rapids man charged with killing his family set for January

CEDAR RAPIDS — The trial of Alexander Jackson, who is charged with killing three members of his family, is set to begin Jan. 10.

A pretrial conference was held Thursday. Court filings show there is no plea to be made and both sides of the trial are ready for it to begin next month.

Jackson, a former University of Iowa student, has waived his right to a speedy trial. The trial is estimated to last nine days at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids.

Jackson, 22, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He is accused of killing his father, Jan Jackson, 61; mother, Melissa Jackson, 68; and sister, Sabrina Jackson, 19.

Police were called about 8:30 a.m. on June 15, 2021, to the Jackson home at 4414 Oak Leaf Ct. NE. They found the three family members had been fatally shot, according to the criminal complaint.

Jackson, then 20, told police he had been awakened by gunfire and was shot in the foot as he struggled over a rifle with a masked intruder. However, investigators found no evidence of forced entry or burglary at the home, the complaint stated. They discovered a .22-caliber Browning semi-automatic rifle in the home that police believe is the murder weapon

In May, 6th Judicial District Chief Judge Lars Anderson denied the defense’s request to move the trial out of Linn County. He ruled media coverage of the case hadn’t been “pervasive and inflammatory,” as the defense argued.

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