William P. Long Jr. walks into the courtroom at the beginning of his trial for killing his ex-wife, Michelle, on Nov. 29. 2023. A jury found him guilty on all counts Monday and he was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON — Found guilty on all counts and given a life sentence — that’s how Monday afternoon ended for William P. Long Jr after he testified in the morning that he didn’t kill his ex-wife Michelle on Nov. 29, 2023.

The jury of six men and six women apparently didn’t believe him. And neither did the judge.

“The evidence does point to you,” Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton told Long.

She talked about the contention that he was drunk when he said some of the terrible things about Michelle, which included telling her he was going to kill her, with the actions described as drunken rants.

“They aren’t drunken rants when they become true,” Bickerton said.

The jury was handed the case at 2 p.m. and flipped the switch on the light indicating they had a verdict at 3:24 p.m., just an hour and a half later. Long was found guilty of aggravated murder and murder, both unclassified felonies, and first-degree felony discharging a firearm upon a roadway, with jurors finding that he used a gun for all three charges.

Bickerton followed the recommendation of the prosecution for the sentence: life in prison without the possibility of parole for aggravated murder, with the murder charge merged with the aggravated murder for the purpose of sentencing; a mandatory three years for the gun specification attached to the aggravated murder; 11 years for the discharging a firearm charge, plus an additional mandatory three years for another gun specification.

That brought the total to life in prison without parole plus 17 years since the terms were ordered served consecutively. He received credit for 621 days already served in jail since his arrest and he was advised of his duty to register as a violent offender if he ever got out.

He was also advised of his right to appeal, with hired defense attorney David Betras indicating a plan to appeal and request appointed counsel, saying his client’s now indigent. Betras was part of a defense team that included defense attorneys Frank Cassese and Tallie Orengia, along with several other staff members who were helping out.

“My client from the day he hired me until now has maintained his innocence,” Betras said afterwards, adding that he respected the jury’s decision, but disagreed with it.

The defense asked for the jurors to be polled, with all 12 saying their verdict was guilty.

County Assistant Prosecutor Alec Beech in recommending the sentence said, “This was an execution-style murder.” He represented the state, along with county Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Bonish, and also described the defendant throughout the trial as “stone cold.” He said something that stands out is the fact that because of his actions, a 16-year-old boy will have to grow up without both his mother and father.

Michelle’s mother, Karen Lewis, addressed the court and directed all of her comments to the defendant, her former son-in-law, telling him he has a good family. Members of both families, of Michelle and the defendant, and friends, too, filled the courtroom to capacity every day of the trial. During the trial, he admitted he tried to kill himself at one point a few years ago and she told him not to do that to his son. She said she prayed he makes a commitment to Jesus Christ.

“I forgive you in the name of Jesus,” Lewis said.

After the sentencing, Beech said, “We’re pleased with the outcome. This was a top notch investigation by the sheriff’s office. The detective bureau did an outstanding job of pulling the case together, and especially Chief Deputy Caleb Wycoff did an outstanding job as lead investigator on this case. As for us pulling the prosecution together, the prosecutor’s office investigators and our witness coordinator made this a seamless prosecution. I think that was evident on how quickly the jury reached their decision.”

When asked what made the difference, with some of the questions the defense raised, Beech said the evidence against Long “was overwhelming and the jury was able to see that and look through any side issues they tried to bring up.”

He also commented about the large contingent of family members and friends there every day in support of the victim.

“I think that shows what kind of person Michelle was. We hope today brings some sense of closure and justice for the family,” Beech said.

County Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino issued a press release thanking everyone involved in the case, including the sheriff’s office, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, his staff and the major crimes task force

“I sincerely hope this verdict provides some sort of closure to Michelle Long’s family,” he wrote.

“In cases where the major crimes task force was activated, there is a 100% conviction rate over the last 5 years. Its importance, and ensuring participation by all law enforcement agencies in the county, cannot be overstated. Simply put, we are, as a law enforcement community, trying to make Columbiana County the last place you want to commit a violent crime, period,” Abruzzino wrote.

Long, 51, North Market Street, Lisbon, was accused of pulling up next to Michelle’s truck while she was getting her mail and shooting her to death in front of her Carey Road home in Butler Township at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 29, 2023. She was 50 years old and had taught that day at Leetonia High School where she was a math/STEM/industry teacher, junior high robotics coach and junior high track coach. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. She had been with the district for eight years .

The prosecution rested its case Friday and put it on the record in front of the jury Monday morning, with the defense then presenting its case, putting Long’s girlfriend at the time of the murder back on the stand, Lee Ann Beadnell. She had already testified as a prosecution witness. Also called was James Stafford, who was ruled an expert witness regarding digital forensic video analysis and cell phone extraction. He testified that he used the Life 360 raw data and coordinates, which were provided by the prosecution, and plotted his own map regarding the defendant’s phone, with his including a time plotted at 5:56 p.m. Nov. 29, 2023 that wasn’t on the map the state had done. He said that indicated the phone moved sometime between 5:21 and 5:56 p.m.

When questioned by Beech, Stafford revealed that he was being paid $30,000 for his analysis and testimony. He claimed Life 360 only gave a new location when a device moved. When asked if he agreed that the defendant’s device was at his girlfriend’s Market Street, Lisbon home from 5:21 p.m. to 6:13 p.m. Nov. 29, 2026, he said he thought that was accurate.

When Long testified, he agreed he was waiving his rights and understood he would be cross examined by the prosecution. He talked about his drinking and how he blamed himself, not Michelle, for their son Jacob’s suicide. After that loss, he talked about his father-in-law passing away and his own mother and his dog. He also has a son, Billy, to his first marriage and his son Brandon with Michelle.

“Did you ever tell anyone you were going to kill her?” Cassese asked. “No,” Long said. He also said he didn’t hate her.

He was asked what led to a fight in a restaurant that Michelle videoed on her phone a couple years before her death in February and said she skipped out on their 24th anniversary. Their anniversary was in August.

When asked about his .44 magnum revolver that was listed as part of their divorce paperwork, he said he sold it at a gun show before any of this happened. The bullet that killed Michelle came from a .44 magnum revolver. When asked about a single .44 magnum round found in the trunk of his Dodge Charger car, he said he had transported loose rounds and a lot of ammunition in that car when he moved out of the Carey Road home. The keychain with a .44 magnum round was bought when he got his blue 2005 Chevy Silverado.

When Cassese asked what he did the day of the murder, he said he left work at Vallourec in Youngstown at 2 p.m. and arrived at Leetonia High School to pick up Brandon and took him to the garage on his father’s property on Endley Road, Lisbon to work on side by sides around 3 p.m. His white Chevy Silverado was seen on video surveillance at the school and at D.W. Dickey on his way to the garage. His nephew also came there.

Long testified that he left the garage by himself in his blue truck and drove to Lee Ann’s house on North Market Street, Lisbon, he parked and he went in the front door, went upstairs and went to the bathroom, then went into the bedroom and laid down. Then he left and went back to the garage.

During cross examination, Bonish questioned Long about several different texts when he threatened Michelle, reading off a series of texts with foul language, him blaming her for Jacob’s suicide and him saying things like “you will get it soon” and how he said he hoped she would get cancer about a week before the murder.

During closing arguments, Bonish talked about motive, how he was upset about the divorce settlement, about having to pay child support, spousal support, losing the properties and having to pay her $100,000, which he never did. She said they knew the defendant wanted his ex-wife dead because he said it. During one of the video’s Michelle made, Bonish said the defendant said, “I will kill you.”

“Michelle Long recorded the confession of her own killer,” Bonish said.

She also talked about the timeline, intimating that the time when his cell phone was inactive, that’s when he was killing Michelle. He dumped the phone at the North Market Street, Lisbon property then drove to Michelle’s. He missed calls because he didn’t have his phone. She reviewed all the elements of the charges against him and said the state met every one.

She pointed out that the people who were at the North Market Street home never saw him or his truck. She pointed out that his phone had Life 360 so it would say where he was, so “he didn’t take the phone to kill his ex-wife.”

She talked about his story about being at the North Market Street home and said it’s directly controverted by his own health data. The health data app on the phone did not show him going up any stairs or making any movements from 5:22 p.m. to 6:12 p.m. Nov. 29, 2023. Michelle was killed at 5:45 p.m. according to the video camera on her garage and her own Life 360 data.

Cassese argued that the evidence of the defense was based on GPS data from Life 360 which showed his client’s phone moved at 5:56 p.m. Nov. 29, 2023. He said no gun residue was found on Bill Long’s blue truck or white truck and there was no glass like there was at the scene of the shooting. He said the state had “assumption and speculation.”

To finish up the closing arguments, Beech reminded the jury of all the threats Long made against Michelle.

“Teachers don’t randomly get killed getting their mail in Columbiana County,” he said.

Beech noted that Long told his friend that if something didn’t change regarding the divorce, he was going to shoot Michelle and “let them figure it out.”

“The divorce didn’t go his way, he shot Michelle and we sure as hell figured it out,” Beech said.

mgreier@mojonews.com