A 20-year-old student who attended the University of Iowa student called police Tuesday morning in a panic, claiming a masked intruder had shot him and his family inside their home.
According to The Daily Beast, when police arrived, they found Alexander Jackson shot in the foot and his parents and 19-year-old sister dead.
Jackson had claimed that he had suffered the gunshot wound to his foot after a struggle over the rifle with the mysterious gunman, but cops weren’t buying it once they established that the house showed no signs of being burglarized.
Police believe Jackson murdered his 61-year-old father, Jan Jackson, his 68-year-old mother, Melissa Jackson, and his sister, Sabrina. Jackson has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and is currently being held on a $3 million bond in Linn County Jail.
While authorities have not yet released the motive in these brutal murders, a criminal complaint obtained by The Daily Beast detailed that Jackson admittedly told cops that “his father had recently advised that he needed to find a job or move out.”
The Daily Beast could not find any prior criminal history for any of the Jackson family members. Police did reveal that he was put on suicide watch but noted that this was the standard practice for new inmates facing a possible life sentence for their accused crimes. Jackson’s next court hearing is scheduled for June 25.
