LISBON, OH – An Ohio man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury found him guilty of murdering his ex-wife, following a bitter divorce and a long trail of threats.

William P. Long Jr., age 51, was convicted Monday of aggravated murder and related charges by a Columbiana County jury after less than 90 minutes of deliberation. The jury’s decision closed a trial that revisited months of animosity between Long and his former spouse, Michelle Lewis Long, who was fatally shot outside her home on November 29, 2023.

Judge Megan Bickerton of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court handed down the mandatory life sentence Monday afternoon, emphasizing to Long that the evidence presented during the trial pointed directly to his guilt. Additional years were added to the sentence for firearm offenses.

The case stemmed from a turbulent breakup between the former couple that resulted in Michelle Long receiving primary custody of their teenage son, substantial spousal and child support, and ownership of family properties. Witnesses and detectives testified that Long repeatedly threatened Michelle, including in a cell phone video where he reportedly declared, “I will kill you.”

Testimony revealed a pattern of disturbing behavior preceding the shooting. On the trial’s final day, a friend of Long’s recounted conversations in which Long threatened to shoot his ex-wife and let authorities “figure it out.” Prosecutors highlighted aggressive messages Long sent to Michelle, blaming her for their elder son’s tragic suicide and making chilling predictions about her future.

During his testimony, Long told jurors his menacing words were merely drunken outbursts and not genuine threats. Judge Bickerton, however, rebuffed this defense after the verdict, stating that such remarks cease to be idle talk when they come true.

Michelle Long worked as a math and STEM teacher at Leetonia High School. The day she was killed, she followed her regular routine: leaving work, stopping by her sister’s house and lawyer’s office, picking up food, and purchasing a television before arriving home shortly before 6 p.m. As she pulled up to her mailbox in her red pickup truck, the fatal encounter unfolded.

Investigators pieced together Long’s movements from security video and witness accounts. He was seen picking up their teenage son at the same high school, exchanging items between vehicles, and dropping the boy at his grandfather’s house. Shortly before the shooting, surveillance cameras captured Long’s dark blue pickup truck—identified by its chrome side steps—pulling up beside Michelle’s vehicle at her mailbox. A sudden flash recorded on video marked the exact moment of the crime, according to police testimony.

Michelle Long was killed with a bullet from a .44-caliber revolver. Although Long claimed he had sold his .44-caliber Ruger revolver prior to the attack, investigators recovered .44 ammunition in his vehicles and on a keychain, undercutting his defense.

Throughout the proceedings, Long maintained his innocence, but mounting evidence from surveillance footage, digital records, and eyewitnesses drew a clear timeline. Prosecutors emphasized the intentional nature of the crime, arguing that Michelle was deliberately targeted at home, an unlikely crime of coincidence in the quiet community.

Michelle Long is remembered by colleagues and former students as a devoted teacher and caring mother. Her family declined to comment immediately after sentencing.