By Hannah W. Wever

Published: May 8, 2008

A convicted double murderer will spend the remainder of his natural life behind bars.
James H. Long, Jr. was in court May 2 to be given a formal sentencing for his part in the March 2005 shooting deaths of Burr Hill residents William Browning and Vicki Truax.
After five days of testimony, evidence and arguments at his trial in February, it took jurors only hours to find Long guilty of the murders of Browning and Truax. The jury recommended two sentences of life imprisonment for Long, one for each murder. Long was also found guilty of two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a crime and received an additional eight-year sentence for those charges.
Long had already been tried—and was already convicted, of the first-degree murders of Burr Hill residents William Browning and Vicki Truax, but the case was never permitted to progress to the sentencing phase. Before that could happen, Judge Daniel Bouton reversed the jury’s guilty verdict and ordered a new trial for Long. Bouton overturned the conviction after finding that certain exculpatory evidence--a plea agreement between the prosecution and one of its principal witnesses, Robin Browning--was not provided to the defense.
At Friday’s formal sentencing, Truax’s brother, Lonnie Esswei, read a statement on behalf of his family. The letter, written by a sister of Truax, described how the entire family suffered the loss of their loved one, and struggled to adjust following her death.
“I just imagine how she felt,” Esswei read aloud from the letter, “being chased and feeling scared before he pulled the trigger.”
Bouton told members of Truax’s family who were in the courtroom he was sympathetic to their pain.
“We understand your anguish and your devastation,” Bouton said. “The court is fully aware of the devastation that has been caused by the impact of these crimes.”
Then Bouton directed Long to stand, and invited him to make a statement prior to the pronouncement of the sentence.
“I’m innocent of these crimes,” Long said.
“A jury of your peers reached a contradictory decision,” the judge responded. Bouton told Long that the murders of which he was convicted were “horrible crimes of violence,” that “involved innocent victims,” and the use of firearms. The crimes were senseless, purposeless, and had no place in a free society,” he added.
Bouton sentenced Long to two life sentences—one for each murder, and an eight-year sentence for multiple weapons charges; the charges will run consecutively.