Leavenworth boys were fatally shot before father fled to Oklahoma, court records show
A Leavenworth father accused of fatally shooting his sons in October was found with a handgun when he was arrested in Oklahoma, according to court records released Tuesday.
The affidavit charging Donald Jackson, 40, with capital murder confirmed the boys — 12-year-old Austin and 14-year-old Logan — were found shot Oct. 24 at Jackson’s home at 14970 Hillside Road in rural Leavenworth.
One of the boys suffered one gunshot wound; the other was shot twice. Police recovered shell casings from the home.
The redacted, two-page affidavit authored by a Leavenworth County sheriff’s detective also showed a .40-caliber handgun was found in the driver’s side door of the car Jackson was in when he was pulled over.
Amber Alerts were issued in multiple states after family members found the boys dead. Their younger sisters, who are 7 and 3, were missing. Investigators believed Jackson abducted them, though he has not been charged with such a crime.
Hours later, Jackson was arrested by officers in Beckham County, Oklahoma. The girls were in the car with him.
At a news conference later, Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson released few details about the accusations against Jackson. He had declined to say, among other things, how the boys were killed.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 5:05 PM.
