Long found dead in Central Va. jail

ORANGE — Convicted double murderer James H. Long Jr. was found dead in his cell early Sunday at the Central Virginia Regional Jail.
According to CVRJ Superintendent Glen Aylor, jail staff found Long, 39, unresponsive. Jail staff and rescue personnel performed CPR procedures but could not revive him.

“The attempts to resuscitate inmate Long were unsuccessful,” said Aylor, who did not say what caused the death. “The Virginia State Police are conducting an investigation on the incident.”

VSP Sgt. Mike Woodard said the matter is being handled by the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations. Woodard added that it is customary for the VSP to investigate when a prisoner dies while in custody, and an autopsy is standard procedure.

“We call in the State Police whenever there is a death,” Major Susan Fletcher of the CVRJ confirmed.

VSP spokesman Sgt. Les Tyler said an autopsy was performed on Long’s body June 30 at the medical examiner’s office in Fairfax.

“The cause of death is pending the results of the toxicology exam,” Tyler said, adding that there were no apparent signs of injury.

Diana Wheeler, commonwealth’s attorney in Orange County, speculated that Long’s health had been adversely affected by his lifestyle prior to incarceration.

“It does look like he may have had a heart attack,” she said.

“He’d abused cocaine for years and years.”

Wheeler confirmed that Long was alone in his cell when jail staff found him unresponsive.

Criminal background
Long was convicted in 2006 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, finding that certain exculpatory evidence — a plea agreement between the prosecution and one of its principal witnesses — was not provided to the defense.

After a second trial again found him guilty, Bouton sentenced Long on May 2 to two consecutive life sentences for the murders and eight years for use of a firearm.

Long was being held at the CVRJ awaiting transport to a state prison.

His funeral service will be held Thursday morning at 11 a.m. at Johnson Funeral Home in Locust Grove.