Bankrupt construction company owner, 53, takes plea deal after he ‘beat his wife to death, hid her body in their pool then ordered Applebee’s for two as an alibi’
- Norman F. Long pleaded guilty to an amended charge of first-degree aggravated manslaughter after his wife Michelle, 47, was found dead in New Jersey in 2017
- Long had been charged with murder and Gloucester County prosecutors are now recommending a 15-year sentence
- Charges of tampering with evidence and obstruction were dropped
- Long blamed ‘sudden provocation, intoxication and mental health issues’
- He had claimed he returned home from picking up food at Applebee’s to discover her and their dog in their pool
- But an autopsy determined Mihelle didn’t drown and the cause of her death was blunt force trauma
A bankrupt construction company owner accused of beating his wife to death, hiding her body in a pool before going to Applebee’s as an alibi has reportedly taken a plea deal in the case.
Norman F. Long pleaded guilty to an amended charge of first-degree aggravated manslaughter after his wife Michelle, 47, was found floating in the backyard pool of the $500,000 New Jersey home they shared in June 2017.
Long had been charged with murder and Gloucester County prosecutors are now recommending a 15-year sentence, nj.com reports.
He is due to be sentence May 3 after charges of tampering with evidence and obstruction were dropped under the deal.
Long’s attorney, David Bahuriak Jr., said: ‘It was the result of a sudden provocation, intoxication and a number of mental health issues all converging in a perfect storm.
‘He wishes he could take it back. The best that he can do is accept responsibility and ask for forgiveness.’
Michelle Long, 47, right, was found floating in the backyard pool on June 17 by her husband, Norman Long, left, who told cops initially she drowned
An autopsy determined that the cause of her death was not drowning, but instead blunt force trauma after Michelle was found floating in the backyard pool, pictured, of the $500,000 New Jersey home the couple shared in June 2017
An autopsy determined that the cause of Michelle’s death was not drowning, but instead blunt force trauma.
On the day of her murder, police say Long, who owned Long Construction Company, returned to their home in Gloucester County after picking up takeout food from Applebee’s.
He is then said to have called 911 and pretended he discovered his wife of 15 years body in the pool when he returned.
When first responders arrived, he told them she had drowned, according to cops.
Prosecutors say Norman, who had filed for bankruptcy, and their neighbors were performing CPR on Michelle when investigators arrived to the scene.
Michelle was said to have been leaving her husband and was looking at homes for sale on the computer in the moments before she was killed.
Long plead guilty to an amended charge of first-degree aggravated manslaughter
Long had been charged with murder and Gloucester County prosecutors are now recommending a 15-year sentence
The victim’s daughter, who has no biological relation to Norman, spoke at a press conference following his arrest. Brittany Maguire (above with Michelle) said: ‘She was definitely the best mom and she did not deserve this at all’
The couple had been married for more than 15 years and owned Long Construction Company together. Pictured is their home in New Jersey
Neighbors told officials that the husband became combative while others performed CPR on Michelle. At one point, he even had to be restrained.
She was pronounced dead a short time later at the scene, as a small dog was also found in the bottom of the pool dead.
Her daughter Brittany Maguire, who has no biological relation to Norman, said: ‘She was definitely the best mom and she did not deserve this at all. We are all broken without her.’