This Week's Triple Murder Is Second In Cedar Rapids History

A Cedar Rapids man is charged with shooting and killing his mother, father, and sister in their northeast side home earlier this week. The triple homicide is the second in Cedar Rapids' history, with the first happening nearly 40 years ago.

This Week's Case

20-year-old Alex Jackson of Cedar Rapids is being held on $3 million bond at the Linn County Jail in Cedar Rapids. He faces three first-degree murder charges. Jackson is accused of shooting and killing his 68-year-old mother Melissa Jackson, 61-year-old father Jan Jackson, and 19-year-old sister Sabrina Jackson Tuesday morning in separate rooms of the family home. Alex Jackson, who also suffered a minor gunshot wound to one of his feet, has blamed the shootings on an intruder. Authorities say there were no signs of forced entry.

The First Triple Murder Was Almost Four Decades Ago

Our news partner, CBS 2 Iowa's News Now, reports Cedar Rapids' first, and only other triple murder before this week, happened in 1982. The bodies of 29-year-old Jackie May, her four-year-old son Jason, and 2-year-old son Justin, were found at Hawthorne Hills Apartments on Cedar Rapids' southwest side Thursday, November 18, 1982. An autopsy showed they were likely killed three days earlier on Monday night, November 15. All three had had their throats slashed, according to Gazette archives.

One Man Convicted in all Three Murders

Bruce Farris, who was 23-years-old at the time of the 1982 murders, was convicted in all three deaths. Gazette archives say Jackie May and Farris were pen pals while Farris was incarcerated at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. A 1984 Iowa Supreme Court appeal of Farris' convictions shows he and Jackie May had been romantically involved for a time prior to the deaths. Iowa's News Now says Farris died in 1997, at age 38. He passed away after suffering a heart attack at the Iowa State Penitentiary.

LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in Iowa

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in Iowa using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

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