LISBON — Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton granted a defense request for permission to file a motion to suppress in the William P. Long Jr. aggravated murder case, setting a new hearing for 1 p.m. Oct. 29.

First, though, during a hearing Monday, she chastised and questioned defense attorney David Betras over the late request just a month shy of the jury trial, at least four months after the deadline for motions.

“I don’t have to tell you how shocked I was to receive that,” Bickerton said.

Betras said the motion wasn’t about a delay, talking about the massive amount of evidence provided by the state that had to be reviewed, and how the defense team hired an expert to review everything and were still awaiting the expert’s report.

Bickerton asked if he told the state when the expert was engaged or if he planned on contacting the state regarding the expert. She then reviewed the many dates set in the case, the fact that the defense received discovery from the state in 2024 and has had over a year to look at the evidence. The case was first set for trial last year in October, then April this year and now Nov. 18. She had set a deadline of June 13 for motions and nothing had been filed until now.

When defense attorney Frank Cassese attended the last hearing in August, without Betras, Bickerton said she asked if any motions were going to be filed and it was her understanding that there weren’t any to be filed. She said when the court gives a deadline and “you completely disrespect it,” she said it’s not about aggravating her, it’s about respecting the timeline, for the victim’s family and the defendant’s family and the defendant, besides the prosecution.

“I did not do this in way of delay or to aggravate you,” Betras said during the back and forth with the judge.

Bickerton said she was talking about common courtesy. If he needed more time to file motions, he could have asked for more time back in June.

“My humble apologies to you, your honor,” Betras said.

His effort is to cover every angle, he said, and he doesn’t have the expert’s report yet and again talked about the many types of evidence provided by the prosecution.

“There’s a lot of problems with how they’re presenting their case. This is a circumstantial case,” he said.

Betras said he’s trying to move the case forward as fast as he can, but added his firm has a busy trial schedule and this case has a massive amount of information. He apologized again to the court and even added that he was sick but still came for the hearing.

In the motion for leave to file the motion to suppress evidence last Thursday afternoon, he claimed counsel “discovered after reviewing recently produced discovery materials that substantial Fourth Amendment issues exist regarding the admissibility of certain evidence.”

County Assistant Prosecutor Alec Beech said it’s hard for him to say what the state needs since the state hasn’t been provided anything. He said that obviously, they’re going to need time to review any expert report and they’ll need time to respond to any motion to suppress He also said that any discovery from the state was provided several months ago.

Betras said he didn’t yet know what the expert was going to say, adding there was no value in it for the state at this point. Until he gets the expert’s report, he said he can’t make a decision on any motions in limine to file.

“We don’t want to delay this. We want to go to trial,” he said.

Long, 51, North Market Street, Lisbon stands accused of shooting his ex-wife to death in 2023 and could face a possible penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of the aggravated murder charge.

A final status hearing in the case remains set for 9 a.m. Nov. 3.

Long remains jailed under a $1.5 million cash or surety bond after being charged in May 2024 with aggravated murder and murder, both unclassified felonies, along with first-degree felony discharging a firearm upon a roadway, and firearm specifications for using a gun for each count, in the death of 50-year-old Michelle A. Long on Nov. 29, 2023 outside her Carey Road home in Butler Township.

At the time of her murder, Michelle A. Long was the Leetonia High School math/STEM/industry teacher, junior high robotics coach and junior high track coach. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Beech was accompanied by county Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Bonish. Long was present in the custody of deputy sheriffs. Family members of both the victim and the defendant were in attendance.