Crime & Safety
UPDATED: Deputy Accused of Murder Takes Witness Stand
Dayle William Long, 44, told jurors he felt threatened by a group of people and acted in self-defense Dec. 21, 2011 at Spelly's Pub & Grille when he fired the shots that killed 36-year-old Samuel Vanettes, The Press-Enterprise reported.
UPDATE 2:30 p.m. Dec. 3:
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez recessed the trial of Dayle William Long at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, and asked jurors to return at 9 a.m. Thursday.
Just prior to Bermudez's announcement, he had called a 30-minute break.
The morning started with Long on the witness stand being cross-examined by Deputy District Attorney Burke Strunsky.
ORIGINAL POST 9:30 p.m. Dec. 2:
A former Riverside County sheriff's deputy charged with murder in the 2011 shooting death of a Murrieta bar patron took the stand Monday in his own defense, according to The Press-Enterprise.
Dayle William Long, 44, told jurors he felt threatened by a group of people and acted in self-defense Dec. 21, 2011 at Spelly's Pub & Grille when he fired the shots that killed 36-year-old Samuel Vanettes of Winchester, the newspaper reported.
Long's trial got underway Nov. 12 at Southwest Justice Center near Murrieta. The prosecution concluded calling its witnesses on Nov. 18, and Monday was the first day that Long's public defense team began calling its witnesses, according to John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
Long was a 10-year veteran of the sheriff's department who was off-duty the night of the fatal encounter. He faces 50 years to life in prison if he is convicted. Meanwhile, he remains jailed at Southwest Detention Center in lieu of $1 million bail.
Vanettes' sister, April Reilly, testified on the opening day of the trial that her brother was an "outgoing and friendly guy" who had invited Long to play darts with them. She alleged that Long's countenance changed throughout the course of the evening, and that he “seemed like he was getting really, really drunk...he was slurring his words.” She alleged that Long pulled a gun when an argument between him and Vanettes grew heated.
Long told jurors Monday that he had had six or seven drinks that night, but that his judgment was not impaired; it was Vanettes' friends who had threatened to take away his gun and kill him, The Press-Enterprise reported.
Click here to read The Press-Enterprise's article on Long's statements from the stand.
Click here to read Patch's previous coverage of the trial.
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