Retired judge to preside over hearing on evidence suppression in William Long’s murder case.

Retired judge Edward E. O’Farrell has been assigned to oversee a suppression hearing in the aggravated murder case against William P. Long Jr., accused of killing his ex-wife, Michelle Long, outside her Butler Township home on Nov. 29, 2023. The hearing, set for 1 p.m. Wednesday, will examine a defense motion to exclude evidence from a search of Long’s residence and related items, including electronics and digital records, which attorneys claim were obtained without proper probable cause or connection to the crime. Judge Megan Bickerton, who issued the original search warrants, recused herself due to a conflict of interest. Long, jailed on a $1.5 million bond, faces life in prison without parole if convicted. A jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 18.