Case file

Remembering Michelle Long

Michelle Ann Long, 50, was shot and killed on November 29, 2023, while sitting in her pickup truck in the driveway of her residence on Carey Road in Butler Township/Salem, Ohio. Her body was located hours later by family members after she failed to pick up her son. The homicide occurred approximately seven months after the finalization of a highly contentious divorce from her husband of 25 years, William P. Long Jr.. The marriage was legally dissolved on the grounds of incompatibility following a bitter litigation process in the Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas. Civil court records detail a volatile separation period characterized by multiple counts of legal contempt, asset depletion, and property hoarding by the suspect.

Resolved case

Lisbon, Ohio • 2023-11-29 • ex-husband

femicide Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Firearm Fatality Divorced Partner Violence Post-Separation Escalation Stalking/Surveillance Legal System Intervention Failure Digital Forensic Conviction

Life and memory

Michelle Ann Long was a 50-year-old mother, educator, and active community mentor residing in Columbiana County, Ohio. She was a dedicated professional who balanced working outside the home as a teacher in the Leetonia Exempted Village School District with serving as the primary caregiver for her minor son, Brandon. To support her family and build her teaching career, Michelle successfully pursued higher education during her marriage, earning an undergraduate degree and a master's degree while managing household responsibilities. She was deeply integrated into local youth development, guiding her children's extracurricular paths and working to ensure a stable, supportive environment for her family amidst prolonged domestic adversity.

Fatal incident

On November 29, 2023, Michelle Long was ambushed and fatally shot five times in the head, face, neck, arm, and torso while sitting in her pickup truck outside her home at 29906 Carey Road in Salem, Ohio. The attack took place in her own driveway, situated on the residential property she had been awarded full ownership of through her recent divorce decree. Michelle was targeted hours after family members noted a disruption in her normal routine when she failed to arrive to pick up her teenage son.

Aftermath

The fatal shooting took place against the backdrop of an severe, unresolved post-divorce enforcement timeline. Following the April 2023 decree, William Long Jr. faced mounting legal and financial pressure, including strict court mandates to pay Michelle $100,000 in cash, clear outstanding real estate titles via quitclaim deeds, and submit to continuous monthly child and spousal support transfers. The case packet lists the current operational status as "review," signifying the ongoing active criminal prosecution and evaluation of suspects by local law enforcement agencies.

Prevention context

This case stands as a classic illustration of the heightened lethality window surrounding post-separation and civil court victories for victims of domestic abuse. The litigation record reveals clear structural warning signs: 1. Escalating Contempt for Authority: The suspect demonstrated a total disregard for judicial mandates, twice being found in formal contempt for asset hiding and refusing to return property. 2. Financial Misconduct as Coercive Control: The suspect aggressively depleted a $255,540 retirement fund immediately upon being served with divorce papers to actively deprive the victim of stability. 3. Access to Firearm Stockpiles: The civil court explicitly documented that the suspect maintained absolute possession of a massive inventory of "Guns and ammunition" valued at over $30,000. Despite an escalating pattern of volatile behavior and repeated non-compliance with court orders, no emergency intervention mechanisms were triggered to disarm the non-custodial parent during this high-conflict transition.

Court records and public filings

Public filings, police reports, court dockets, and related records help establish what is documented, what remains disputed, and where warnings were recorded.

Court record or filing

Divorce Decree

Open public record

Court record or filing

Judgment Entry - Michelle A. Long vs. William P. Long Jr. (Case No. 2022 DR 00168)

Provides confirmed historical timelines of the marriage, child custody assignments, asset distributions, documented financial misconduct, firearm property holdings, and double contempt findings against the suspect.

verified Judgment Entry - Michelle A. Long vs. William P. Long Jr. (Case No. 2022 DR 00168)

Open public record

Additional evidence and source material

Some materials do not fit neatly into one category but still belong in the documentary record of the case.

News report

Ex-husband found guilty of killing Leetonia teacher

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.

verified Ex-husband found guilty of killing Leetonia teacher

Open related material

News report

OH v. William Long: Deadly Divorce Murder Trial

LISBON, Ohio (Court TV) — An Ohio man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury found him guilty of killing his ex-wife. William Long Jr., 51, was convicted on all the charges he faced, including aggravated murder, for the Nov. 2023 death of Michelle Long, 50. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison plus 14 years to be served consecutively.

verified OH v. William Long: Deadly Divorce Murder Trial

Open related material

Case overview

Location: Lisbon, Ohio
Date of death: 2023-11-29
Relationship context: ex-husband

Reporting sources

news_article: Ex-husband found guilty of killing Leetonia teacher verified
news_article: OH v. William Long: Deadly Divorce Murder Trial verified
court_filing: Judgment Entry - Michelle A. Long vs. William P. Long Jr. (Case No. 2022 DR 00168) verified
news_article: Verified Source unreviewed

Documented findings

verified fatal incident

The precise time of the shooting was established as 5:45 p.m. on November 29, 2023, captured by a video camera on Michelle's garage and corroborated by her Life360 app data. She was ambushed while sitting in her vehicle near her mailbox outside her home on Carey Road in Butler Township.

verified aftermath

Forensic testing proved that Michelle was shot with a .44 Magnum caliber revolver. While William Long's known gun collection included a .44 Magnum revolver listed in the divorce paperwork, the weapon itself was never recovered; William claimed he sold it at a gun show prior to the incident. However, investigators located a single .44 Magnum round inside his red Dodge Charger

verified fatal incident

William Long's alibi—that he was resting at his girlfriend's home on North Market Street during the murder—was directly disproven by digital health app data on his phone, which showed zero movement or steps climbed between 5:22 p.m. and 6:12 p.m. Prosecutors demonstrated that he deliberately left his phone at that property to forge an alibi while driving to ambush Michelle.

Supported by

OH v. William Long: Deadly Divorce Murder Trial

verified family context

Michelle's middle name was Ann. She was a 1991 graduate of United Local High School and earned a Master's Degree from Kent State University in 2018. She was deeply involved in the community, serving as an Advancement Coordinator for Boy Scouts Troop #6 and actively participating in local 4-H programs with her children.

verified prior abuse

Michelle recorded cell phone videos prior to her death detailing domestic abuse, including an incident where William threw a beer on her and told her, "You disappeared on our wedding anniversary. You deserve your [expletive] kicked." Additionally, texts sent a week prior to her death showed William telling her "you will get it soon" and stating that he hoped she would die of cancer.

verified relationship history

Michelle and William P. Long Jr. were married on August 7, 1997, and their marriage lasted over 25 years until its legal termination on April 6, 2023.

verified relationship history

The couple had one minor child together, Brandon Kyle Long, born May 21, 2009. Michelle was designated the primary residential parent and legal custodian.

verified relationship history

William Long Jr. engaged in severe financial misconduct during the divorce proceedings by cashing in his Vanguard retirement account, valued at $255,540.45, on June 8, 2022. This directly violated a Rule 9.1 Magistrate's Order issued on May 6, 2022, which strictly prohibited both parties from disposing of or moving joint marital assets.

verified relationship history

William was twice found in contempt of court during the divorce. The first finding was on December 7, 2022, for violating the asset restraining order. The second finding was issued at trial because he consistently refused to return marital personal property to the residence up until the day of the hearing.

verified relationship history

Under the final division of assets, William was ordered to pay the remaining $100,000 from his liquidated Vanguard account directly to Michelle within seven days of the April 25, 2023 filing, under threat of fines and jail time. He was also ordered to pay $750.00 per month in spousal support for 96 consecutive months and $695.66 per month in child support.

verified relationship history

Michelle was awarded full title to the three real estate parcels comprising the marital residence on Carey Road in Salem, Ohio, free and clear of any claim from William, as well as an additional real estate property located at 336 Chestnut Street in Lisbon, Ohio. William was ordered to execute quitclaim deeds conveying his interest to her within 30 days.

verified relationship history

An official court-ordered appraisal conducted by J. Paul Basinger valued the couple's total marital household goods, vehicles, and equipment at $120,520.00. In the final asset division, William was awarded $92,055.00 worth of this property, which included a dynamic collection of vehicles, tools, parts, and a line item designated as "All Guns and ammunition" valued at $30,945.00.

Why this matters

Each case page is meant to help readers understand warning signs, barriers to safety, and the systems that shaped what happened before and after the fatal incident.