LISBON  A visiting judge has been assigned to preside over a key suppression hearing for William Long Jr., who is charged in the 2023 murder of his ex-wife, Michelle Long, a former Leetonia teacher.

The Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas has appointed Edward O'Farrell, a retired judge from Tuscarawas County Court, to handle the defendant's motion to suppress evidence. The assignment, made by the Supreme Court of Ohio, is for the sole purpose of reviewing the Motion to Suppress, which challenges search warrants issued by the court's administrative judge, Megan Bickerton.

Long Jr., 50, faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder, murder, and discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises, all with firearm specifications, stemming from an incident on Nov. 29, 2023. 

Michelle Long, a former teacher and coach at Leetonia High School, was found deceased with a gunshot wound outside her Butler Township home in November.

The defendant's lawyer filed an amended motion to suppress evidence last week. The motion requests the court to suppress all evidence seized by the Columbiana County Sheriff's Department from various properties and accounts, including Long’s residence, two Chevrolet trucks, an Apple iPhone, multiple Verizon wireless numbers, Life 360, iCloud accounts, Amazon Blink cameras, insurance documents, and Google accounts.

Long’s attorney argues that the search warrant affidavit lacked probable cause. They contend the affidavit fails to establish a sufficient connection between the alleged criminal activity and the property and items that were searched and seized, arguing this violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

William Long
William Long  

Judge Bickerton remains scheduled to preside over the case's final status conference on Nov. 3 and the jury trial, currently set for Nov. 18, 2025.

Long remains jailed on a $1.5 million bond.