Leetonia teacher murder: Defense fights cell phone data
LISBON The man accused of killing his ex-wife, former Leetonia teacher Michelle Long, is asking a court to block prosecutors from using all cell phone location evidence that allegedly links him to the crime scene.
The motion to exclude the key digital data is the latest legal challenge in the case against William Long Jr., 50, who faces charges including aggravated murder and murder in the death of his former wife in November 2023. Long has been held on a $1.5 million bond.
Attorneys for Long filed the request this week, targeting evidence related to his movements around the time of the incident. This request is separate from an earlier effort to suppress all items seized under search warrants, including his iPhone, iCloud, and Google accounts, and camera recordings.
The new filing focuses on the state’s plan to use cellular location data and maps generated by a program called Trax. This software takes records from cell phone providers and creates visual plots that prosecutors would use to suggest Long’s whereabouts.
Long’s defense argues that the analysis from the Trax software is unreliable and should not be presented to a jury. They contend that the software, which is used to plot device coordinates, has not been tested or reviewed by scientific peers, and that its potential for error is unknown.
The defense is asking the court to use a federal standard that requires judges to screen expert testimony for both relevance and scientific reliability before it is admitted as evidence.
By challenging the evidence based on its scientific method, the defense claims the use of the data amounts to "digital speculation masquerading as science" and would mislead jurors. They have asked the court to hold a separate hearing to test the data’s reliability.
Retired Judge Edward O’Farrell, a visiting judge assigned to the Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas, is scheduled to preside over the upcoming hearing.
His ruling on the cell phone evidence will be crucial in determining what information the jury can consider when the trial begins. The case remains scheduled for a jury trial on Nov. 18.
Columbiana County Sheriff's deputies were called to Carey Road in Butler Township in November 2023 where they found the body of 50-year-old Michelle Long, who was killed by an apparent gunshot wound.
Long was a teacher with the Leetonia High School Math/STEM/Industry teacher and coach since 2015.
