'You will get it soon': Man who gunned down his teacher ex-wife after she won custody, alimony in bitter divorce had threatened her multiple times

An Ohio antheral who denied sidesplitting his ex-wife aft making respective threats against her has been recovered guilty of murder.

William P. Long Jr., 51, was convicted of aggravated execution and each different counts against him by a assemblage of six men and six women connected Monday. According to courtroom reporting by section quality outlet The Review, Long testified the aforesaid morning that helium did not fatally sprout his ex-wife, 50-year-old Michelle Lewis Long, connected Nov. 29, 2023. After the lawsuit was handed to the jury, it took little than an hr and a fractional to instrumentality a unanimous blameworthy verdict.

Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton told Long aft the verdict, "The grounds does constituent to you." She sentenced Long to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole for the aggravated execution and execution charges successful summation to clip for the firearms charges helium was besides convicted of.

Leading up to Lewis Long's murder, she and Long had gone done a contentious divorcement that resulted successful Lewis Long getting custody of their teenage son, $100,000 successful spousal support, kid support, and properties the erstwhile mates had some owned. In a video recorded by Lewis Long, Long reportedly told her, "I volition termination you."

WATCH the verdict connected Court TV: OH v. William Long: Deadly Divorce Murder Trial

The Review reported that William Stewart, a person of Long, testified connected the final time of trial that Long told him "he was going to sprout her and fto them fig it out." Prosecutors besides presented a bid of texts betwixt the erstwhile mates successful which Long blamed his ex-wife for their older son's suicide, wished crab connected her, and threatened her by saying, "you volition get it soon."

Long maintained that helium was simply making drunken rants erstwhile helium made specified statements. The justice told him aft the verdict was read, "They aren't drunken rants erstwhile they go true."

Lewis Long, who was a mathematics and STEM teacher astatine Leetonia High School, came location from enactment connected Nov. 29, 2023, went to her sister's house, met with her divorcement attorney, picked up nutrient from Arby's, and bought a flat-screen TV astatine Walmart earlier returning to her location astatine 5:45 p.m. Before going inside, she pulled up to her mailbox successful her reddish pickup truck.

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Long's movements were tracked from the aforesaid precocious schoolhouse wherever his ex-wife worked, wherever helium picked up their lad successful a achromatic pickup motortruck astir the aforesaid clip Lewis Long near the school. Video footage showed the teen getting thing from his mother's motortruck and bringing it implicit to his father's achromatic one. The teen near the schoolhouse with his father, who brought the lad to his grandfather's house.

Long besides owned a acheronian bluish pickup truck, which was seen traveling to Long's girlfriend's location aft 5:17 p.m. His telephone was near by the beforehand of the location adjacent a bush and did not registry immoderate question until 6:13 p.m.

Investigators said that surveillance video from Lewis Long's store captured her pulling up to her mailbox astatine 5:45 p.m., the aforesaid clip a dark-colored pickup motortruck with distinctive chrome broadside steps pulled up adjacent to her. A flash was seen astatine the apical of the frame, and arsenic constabulary testified, "That's erstwhile the homicide occurred."

The slug that killed Lewis Long was from a .44 revolver. Long owned a Ruger .44 magnum revolver, and .44 rounds were recovered connected a keychain for 1 of Long's trucks arsenic good arsenic wrong different 1 of Long's trucks. Long claimed that helium sold the weapon astatine a weapon amusement earlier the shooting.

Long's defence squad said its lawsuit had maintained his innocence from the beginning. Prosecutors told The Review, "Teachers don't randomly get killed getting their message successful Columbiana County."