Longo found guilty of killing kids

Here are some stories concerned with this case:

http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=59629

Longo found guilty of killing kids

The jury takes only five hours to find him guilty in the murders of his two older children.



ANDREW KRAMER

The Associated Press

April 8, 2003



NEWPORT — Christian Longo, who already had admitted strangling to death his wife and youngest child and dumping their bodies into a coastal inlet, was convicted Monday of killing his two older children as well.



Relatives of Longo’s wife, MaryJane, were at the court and were jubilant after hearing the verdict.



“On behalf of MaryJane, Sadie, Zachery and Madison, we would like to say thank you. Thank you for holding Chris accountable, thank you for clearing MaryJane’s name,” Sally Clark, a sister of MaryJane, said outside the courtroom.



The lifeless bodies of MaryJane Longo and the three children were found in two coastal inlets in December 2001.



Facing a possible death penalty sentence, Longo had admitted to killing his wife and their 2-year-old daughter, Madison, at the Newport condominium where they had lived. But he contended during the trial that his wife had drowned their two older children — 4-year-old Zachery and Sadie, 3.



He claimed during testimony that he killed MaryJane and Madison in a fit of rage after returning from work to find she had killed the two others.



But the jury did not believe him, convicting him on Monday of four counts of aggravated murder — two counts for the deaths of each of the two older children. Under Oregon law, a murder suspect can be charged with additional counts if the victim is a child.



The jury took less than five hours to reach its verdict.



The 29-year-old Longo showed no emotion as the verdict was read. His mother, Joy, wept as Judge Robert Huckleberry spoke.



After the verdict, Penny Dupuie, one of MaryJane’s sisters, walked out of the courtroom, frantically dialing relatives on her cell phone and jumping up and down, elated.



Dupuie and sisters Jennifer Kegley, Sally Clark and sister-in-law Cathy Baker held snapshots of MaryJane while talking with reporters.



Longo’s mother, adoptive father, brother and sister-in-law declined to talk to reporters.



Huckleberry told the jury to return Wednesday for the beginning of the penalty phase.



An admitted con man, Longo moved his family to Oregon in August 2001, leaving behind a trail of bad checks and forgery charges stretching back to Michigan, where they had lived.



During the four-week trial, prosecutors described Longo as a cold-hearted man with a taste for fine wine and cars he could not afford who killed his family so he could enjoy a more uninhibited lifestyle.



Prosecutor Paulette Sanders told the jury in closing arguments last week that Longo’s version of his family’s death was yet another lie in a string of deceit.



“He lied and lied repeatedly — to his wife, to his parents, to the elders of his church, to his old friends, to his new friends here in Newport. He lied to the police. Now he’s lying to you,” she said.



Longo fled to Mexico where an FBI agent caught him three weeks later at a beach resort in Tulum. Longo had partied and snorkeled, and was involved romantically with a German tourist, according to testimony.



Longo’s court-appointed attorney, Steven Krasik, told jurors he understood if they didn’t believe his client. But Krasik said that police overlooked evidence that may have confirmed Longo’s story and said reasonable doubt exists.



Krasik said a surveillance video from a grocery store in Newport may have backed up a portion of Longo’s story but was accidentally recorded over.



The video may have shown MaryJane alive on Dec. 17, a day after prosecutors say she likely died, Krasik said.

http://www.koin.com/webnews/2003/20030408_longo.shtml

Mary Jane's Sisters Elated Over Longo Conviction

Sentencing Begins Wednesday

NEWPORT, Ore. -- Christian Longo, who had already admitted strangling to death his wife and youngest child and dumping their bodies into a coastal inlet, was convicted Monday of killing his two older children as well. Relatives of Longo's wife, Mary Jane, were at the court and were jubilant after hearing the verdict. "On behalf of Mary Jane, Sadie, Zachery and Madison, we would like to say thank you. Thank you for holding Chris accountable, thank you for clearing Mary Jane's name," Sally Clark, a sister of Mary Jane, said outside the courtroom. The lifeless bodies of Mary Jane Longo and the three children were found in two coastal inlets in December 2001. Facing a possible death penalty sentence, Longo had admitted to killing his wife and their 2-year-old daughter, Madison, at the Newport condominium where they had been living. But he contended during the trial that his wife had drowned their two older children -- 4-year-old Zachery and 3-year-old Sadie. He claimed during testimony that he killed Mary Jane and Madison in a fit of rage after returning from work to find she had killed the two others. But the jury did not believe him, convicting him on Monday of four counts of aggravated murder -- two counts for the deaths of each of the two older children. Under Oregon law, a murder suspect can be charged with additional counts if the victim is a child. The jury took less than five hours to reach its verdict. The 29-year-old Longo showed no emotion as the verdict was read. His mother, Joy, wept as Judge Robert Huckleberry spoke. After the verdict, Penny Dupuie, one of MaryJane's sisters, walked out of the courtroom, frantically dialing relatives on her cell phones and jumping up and down, elated. Dupuie and sisters Jennifer Kegley, Sally Clark and sister-in-law Cathy Baker held snapshots of MaryJane while talking with reporters. Longo's mother, adoptive father, brother and sister-in-law declined to talk to reporters. Huckleberry told the jury to return Wednesday for the beginning of the penalty phase. An admitted con man, Longo moved his family to Oregon in August 2001, leaving behind a trail of bad checks and forgery charges stretching back to Michigan, where they had lived. During the four-week trial, prosecutors described Longo as a cold-hearted man with a taste for fine wine and cars he could not afford who killed his family so he could enjoy a more uninhibited lifestyle. Prosecutor Paulette Sanders told the jury in closing arguments last week that Longo's version of his family's death was yet another lie in a string of deceit. "He lied and lied repeatedly -- to his wife, to his parents, to the elders of his church, to his old friends, to his new friends here in Newport. He lied to the police. Now he's lying to you," she said. Longo fled to Mexico where an FBI agent caught him three weeks later at a beach resort in Tulum. Longo had partied and snorkeled, and was romantically involved with a German tourist, according to testimony. Longo's court-appointed attorney, Steven Krasik, told jurors he understood if they didn't believe his client. But Krasik said that police overlooked evidence that may have confirmed Longo's story and said reasonable doubt exists. Krasik said a surveillance video from a grocery store in Newport may have backed up a portion of Longo's story, but was accidentally recorded over. The video may have shown Mary Jane alive on Dec. 17, a day after prosecutors say she likely died, Krasik said.

Justice has been served. This seems to have been the only just outcome. There is no excuse for what he did.

What a BASTARD he is an MONSTER I am so happy he was held accountable

"What a BASTARD he is an MONSTER I am so happy he was held accountable."

Are people bastards and monsters, and should one be happy for possible death sentences? As for me, I think often pure luck or chance or circumstances or whatever prevents one person from committing something terrible - that there is only a thin border line separating one seemingly "good" person from at one specific instance do something that would have made him a "monster" or "bastard". A restraint in a fraction of a second - and one is not a "monster", but a "good" guy. Longo also has a mother, and she has cared for him, nursed him, played with him, read to him, laughed together with him, and made plans for him and his future, had dreams about how good it would all be - and she must be heartbroken now.

I have a child, I made such plans, I had such moments - now that child is a drug addict, a criminal, and surely by many "SheilaM"s considered a "bastard" and a "monster" - but I look beyond that outer appearance, and inside of him I see that young child, those moments, and while lamenting those moments lost and that present appearance, I know that the person is no more a "monster" than I am, that a few bad decisions made at crucial times when the mind was temporarily blurred made a path which was afterwards so hard to change.     

Longo was a child. He has a mother. He is no monster or bastard. He is just a scared child who made unwise decisions - with terrible consequences for innocent people, but monster - no. Give him psychological treatment in an institution, don't kill the mothers' children. 

wow, OldHippie, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Until we walk a mile in someone else's moccosins............

 

 

Well old hippie you are entitled to your thoughts and opinions.  But I totally disagree with you.  This man was a monster. 

Sphere, I totally agree with you.

Why waste tax payers money to put monsters like this in a mental institution, so people can analyze them for the rest of their lives..  They took a life, or lives they don't deserve to live in society with the law abiding citizens.   Geez.