KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Leavenworth County judge has ruled that Donald Ray Jackson, Jr., the man accused of murdering his two sons in October 2020 in Leavenworth, must take his medication at a psychiatric hospital in Kansas.
At Friday's status conference, the judge sided with the state for Jackson to go back to Larned State Hospital, where he will take his medication, which he had previously been declining.
"It's exactly how we would've wanted it to go and what needs to happen," Tara Rieck, the children's mother, said.
Jackson could have been released Friday if the judge had ruled differently, meaning his capital murder case would not have gone to trial.
"For it to hinge on what would happen today was concerning," Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said. "We appreciate being able to have the opportunity to be able to see that he can be found competent."
There will be another hearing to check in on Jackson's status on May 15.
The Leavenworth County District Court found Jackson incompetent to stand trial in late June 2025.
If found competent, Jackson could face the death penalty for shooting and killing his 14-year-old son, Logan, and his 12-year-old son, Austin, at their home in Leavenworth.
An Amber Alert for Jackson's two daughters, 7-year-old Nora Jackson and 3-year-old Aven Jackson, went out in Kansas on Oct. 24, 2020, after a relative noticed one of the children didn’t show up for a soccer game.
Logan and Austin were found dead inside the residence, but the girls were not at the home.
Alerts were also issued in Oklahoma and Arkansas for the two girls after authorities learned Jackson had been stopped near the Oklahoma-Kansas border for a routine traffic violation earlier that day.
The Amber Alert ended when an officer spotted Jackson’s car that night near Erick, Oklahoma, in Beckham County. Jackson was taken into custody and detained there over the weekend.
Jackson was charged with capital murder in Leavenworth County three days later.
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