Father of Kansas man accused in killings dies by suicide after child sex crime charges
The father of a Leavenworth County man who is charged with killing his two young sons died by suicide while out on bond and awaiting trial for alleged child sex crimes.
Donald Jackson Sr., of Easton, died by suicide, Leavenworth County officials confirmed Wednesday. He had recently been charged with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
“Our thoughts are with the family,” said Todd Thompson, the county attorney. “It would be presumptuous of us to know why he chose to do what he did. We did have charges filed against him, and our goal is always to protect our victims and community, and give a person a fair trial.”
According to a criminal complaint filed on Feb. 23, Jackson allegedly touched a child inappropriately between July and August 2019, in Leavenworth County.
He posted bail after his bond was set at $100,000 this spring, though the state had requested his bond be set at $500,000. He bonded out on March 29.
Several months earlier, in June 2020, Jackson was arrested for the same charges in a separate incident between August 2018 and December 2019, according to an affidavit.
The victims in both cases were under the age of 14 at the time of the alleged crime, court records show. The Star does not typically identify the victims of sex crimes, particularly those who are juveniles.
In April, officials confirmed to The Star that Jackson, who was 62 at the time of his first arrest, is the father of Donald Jackson Jr., who is accused of fatally shooting his young sons in October.
In a motion for bond filed in June 2020, the elder Jackson’s attorney argued that he was a lifelong resident of Leavenworth County with no history or arrests or convictions.
The attorney said Jackson had been married for 41 years and for 22 years owned and operated a poll construction business until his retirement, court records show.
His son remains in the Leavenworth County Jail.
An affidavit charging the younger Jackson with capital murder confirmed his sons — 12-year-old Austin and 14-year-old Logan — were found shot on Oct. 24 at Jackson’s home at 14970 Hillside Road in rural Leavenworth. Jackson was 40 at the time of his arrest last fall.
One of the boys suffered one gunshot wound; the other was shot twice, records show. Police recovered shell casings from the home.
Amber Alerts were issued in multiple states after family members found the boys dead. Their younger sisters, who were 7 and 3, were missing.
Hours later, Jackson was arrested by officers in Beckham County, Oklahoma. The girls were in the car with him.
