[Sat July 6] Death of James Long and trial of Beverly Jean Long investigated on Accident, Suicide, or Murder

Accident, Suicide, or Murder is investigating the death of James Long, who died in a fire at his workshop beside his home in Butts County, Georgia. His wife, Beverly Jean Long, was initially charged with his murder but was eventually acquitted after a jury concluded the death was an accident.

On the bitterly cold night of January 23, 2003, 53-year-old James went outside to thaw some frozen pipes. He started refueling a pot smudge heater, but tragically, he mistakenly used gasoline instead of kerosene. The heater was still hot, which caused the gas vapors to ignite, and James’s clothing was suddenly ablaze.

Beverly saw her husband engulfed in flames and rushed to his aid. She tried to remove her husband’s coat and beat out the flames, but the fire was too fierce.

She dialed 911 and shouted at the operator, “Fire! My husband’s burned to death!” She added, “Please hurry. … Oh, dear God, please help me! I told him not to put that in there!”

The Longs’s workshop and their adjoining house were burnt to the ground, and James was left as a charred, unrecognizable corpse.

The detectives, led by Chief Investigator Michael Overbey of the Butts County Sheriff’s Office, discovered a fracture on James’s skull, suggesting he had suffered an impact from a blunt object. They also concluded from the positioning of his body that he had been knocked on conscious and dragged to the spot where the firefighters found him.

Butts County police suspected Beverly Jean Long of the murder of James Long

The cops also noted strange burn patterns and cracked concrete at the scene, which led them to believe that an accelerant had been poured over James’s body. They accused Beverly of killing her husband by striking him on the head and setting fire to the remains.

During an interview with Overbey, Beverly denied she had done anything. Overbey left her alone in the interview room with the tape recorder still playing; he hoped she would say something incriminating to herself. However, all she said was, “Oh, God, help me. Help me have strength, God. You know I didn’t do it.”

Beverly was charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and giving false information.

In the meantime, a friend and neighbor of the Longs, Frank Howard, came forward to claim that James had always been pretty careless with health and safety when storing kerosene and gasoline. Howard also admitted that he feared James may have accidentally put gasoline into the heater.

Beverly Jean Long declared innocent of killing James Long

In the end, fire and arson expert John Lentini, who was at the forefront of changing how the authorities investigate fires, was instrumental in proving Beverly was innocent. Lentini said the burn patterns and cracked concrete actually pointed to an accidental fire.

Beverly’s defense team also argued that James likely cracked his head as he ran around the workshop trying to extinguish the flames. A jury agreed, and Beverly was acquitted.

In an interview after the trial, Overbey said he still believed Beverly had killed her husband, but he admitted, “I never contended to be an expert on arson.”

Accident, Suicide, or Murder airs Saturdays at 8/7c on Oxygen.