Bio 

David Martin Long was born on July 15, 1953, in Tom Green County, Texas. He had two brothers and one sister, and he spent part of his childhood in California. His older siblings said their father struggled with alcohol and often neglected the children. Long’s behavior reportedly changed after his mother died when he was about 10 years old. He was later placed in foster homes and institutions. By around age 12, he had been sent to a reformatory.

Long also began drinking alcohol at a young age. Over time, he developed a long history of substance abuse, including alcohol, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine, and barbiturates. He also spent time in hospitals and treatment programs for mental health and addiction issues.

As a young man, Long worked as a cable television installation technician in Texas. People who knew him described him as someone who could make a strong first impression, but his behavior changed when he was using drugs or alcohol.

Before the 1986 Lancaster murders, Long had recently left an alcohol treatment program in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was hitchhiking when Donna Jester picked him up on September 19, 1986. Because he had nowhere to stay, she allowed him to live at her home in Lancaster, Texas, in exchange for repair work. While staying there, Long also became involved with Laura Lee Owens.

Long later claimed he became disturbed while living in the home and believed the women were against him. His defense argued that he was mentally ill, but the jury rejected the insanity defense and found him guilty.

Murder Story

David Martin Long’s known murder history began with a killing he later confessed to in California. On November 28, 1978, a gas station attendant named James Carnell was found dead in San Bernardino. Long later said he had been drinking and became angry after he believed the attendant overcharged him for tire repairs. He confessed that he beat Carnell with a tire iron and pushed a broom handle into his throat to make sure he was dead. Details from the crime scene supported parts of Long’s confession, including the severe head injuries and the missing key chain.

Long also confessed to killing Bob Rogers in Bay City, Texas, on December 20, 1983. Rogers was Long’s former boss. Long said he still held a grudge against Rogers after a work-related dispute. According to Long’s confession, he went to Rogers’s trailer, found him passed out in a chair, took money from his wallet, and set the trailer on fire. Rogers died in the fire. Long was not tried for this killing, but witnesses and other evidence supported parts of his confession.

The crime that led to Long’s death sentence happened on September 27, 1986, in Lancaster, Texas. The victims were Dalpha Jester, Donna Jester, and Laura Lee Owens. Donna had met Long when she picked him up while he was hitchhiking. She allowed him to stay at her home because he had nowhere else to go. In exchange, Long was expected to do repair work around the house.

On the day of the murders, Long completed some repair work at the home. Donna and Laura later returned from work and went to the back bedroom to speak with Dalpha. Long believed they were talking about him and conspiring against him. He then retrieved a hatchet.

Long first attacked Laura Lee Owens outside the house. He struck her from behind with the hatchet. He then went back inside and attacked Donna Jester and Dalpha Jester in the back bedroom. After killing Donna and Dalpha, he returned to the front yard and struck Laura again. All three women suffered repeated chopping wounds to the head and face, and all had defensive wounds on their hands or arms.

Dalpha Jester was especially vulnerable because she was elderly, partially blind, and needed a walker. Donna and Dalpha were found on a bed in the back bedroom. Laura was found in the front yard. The hatchet was later found rinsed off, wrapped in a towel, and left in a bathroom sink inside the home.

After the murders, Long fled in Donna’s car while drinking wine. He was arrested later that night in Buffalo, Texas, for driving while intoxicated, but he was released. Police later focused on him through information in Donna Jester’s diary, which showed how she had met him and allowed him to stay at the home.

Long was arrested on October 24, 1986, in Austin, Texas, after being picked up on a public intoxication charge and a felony warrant from Dallas County. He first gave police a false name, but fingerprint analysis confirmed his identity. Lancaster authorities returned him to Dallas County, where he confessed to the murders.

On November 18, 1986, a Dallas County grand jury indicted Long for capital murder for intentionally killing Dalpha Jester, Donna Jester, and Laura Lee Owens during the same criminal transaction. Long pleaded not guilty and used an insanity defense.

At trial, Long’s defense presented evidence of mental illness, substance abuse, childhood trauma, and prior hospitalizations. A defense psychologist stated that Long may have been psychotic during the killings, but also acknowledged problems with that conclusion. The state’s psychiatrist testified that Long had a severe antisocial personality disorder, understood right from wrong, and was not legally insane.

On February 7, 1987, the jury found Long guilty of capital murder. On February 10, 1987, after a separate punishment hearing, the jury answered the required punishment questions in a way that required a death sentence. The court sentenced Long to death by lethal injection. His conviction and sentence were later affirmed on appeal.

In the days before his execution, Long attempted suicide by overdosing on medication in his death row cell. He was taken to a hospital, placed on a ventilator, and later improved enough for state officials to transport him to Huntsville. His lawyers argued that the execution should be delayed, but the courts rejected the final appeals. David Martin Long was executed by lethal injection in Texas on December 8, 1999.