Man charged in infant son's death had killed another son in 1991

By Jessie Halladay • jhalladay@courier-journal.com • January 28, 2010

A man charged Wednesday in connection to the death of his 6-week old son had previously been convicted of killing another son in 1991.

Robert W. Long, Jr., 44, is in the Louisville metro jail on charges of menacing, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse. He was arrested Wednesday after his son was found dead in a sport-utility vehicle parked in front of a home in the 5500 block of Ridgecrest Road, near the Newburg neighborhood.

Louisville Metro Police found the baby after he was reported missing by family members earlier in the day. Those family members said they also could not locate Long.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s office has not released the child’s name or how he died. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.

Homicide investigators are investigating.

This is not the first time one of Long’s sons has died.

In 1992, Long was convicted of killing his 5-week-old son, Robert Deon Long, by beating the infant, dropping him and letting him fall from a bed onto a wooden floor. The baby died on Feb. 8, 1991. Long was sentenced to 35 years in prison for that murder.

Information on when Long was released from prison was not immediately available.

Reporter Jessie Halladay can be reached at (502) 582-4081.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100128/ZONE06/1280331/1008/NEWS01/Man+charged+in+infant+son+s+death+had+killed+another+son+in+1991