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Donald Jackson to be extradited to Kansas on capital murder charge in sons' deaths

Donald Jackson
Posted at 12:25 PM, Oct 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-30 13:25:29-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Donald Jackson Jr., the Leavenworth man facing a capital murder charge in the killing of his two sons, has waived an extradition hearing in Oklahoma, clearing the way for him to be brought back to Kansas.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said Friday that his office was informed of the update, but he did not know when Jackson might be transported to Kansas, saying that "a lot of variables" factor into that timeline.

Prosecutors allege Jackson killed his two sons, 14-year-old Logan Jackson and 12-year-old Austin Jackson, at their home in Leavenworth and fled the state with his two daughters, spurring a multi-state Amber Alert for the girls on Saturday.

He was detained in Beckham County, Oklahoma, on Saturday evening and has been jailed there since. The two girls were safe and returned to their family in Kansas.

Thompson said Tuesday that if convicted on the capital murder charge, Jackson faces a life sentence without parole or the death penalty. Thompson’s office has not decided if it will pursue the death penalty.

Prosecutors also filed alternative charges of first-degree murder, if a jury decides the case does not rise to the level of capital murder, Thompson said.

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Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the 41 Action News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the 41 Action News Mug Shot Policy.