An Oklahoma man has been found guilty of murdering a young Marine on a college campus after wrongly believing his wife was having an affair with him.
Prosecutors say Brandon Morrissette, 32, confronted Robenie “RJ” Long, 20, outside the Humanities building at Rose State College in Midwest City in April 2023. Morrissette’s wife, a student at the school, was walking with Long when her husband pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Despite his wife’s repeated insistence that Long was nothing more than a classmate and friend, Morrissette shot Long seven times, killing him instantly. Morrissette was arrested at the scene without incident.
A jury convicted Morrissette of first-degree murder on Thursday, Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna announced. Jurors also found him guilty of possessing a firearm on school property. They recommended a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murder, plus an additional year for the weapons charge. Morrissette is scheduled to be sentenced on October 14 and plans to appeal.
The senseless killing devastated Long’s family and friends. At his funeral, Pastor David McBride shared how the Marine once rescued a woman from a sinking car after it flipped into a ditch. “RJ gave no thought to his life and somehow got her unbuckled and pulled her out of the water,” McBride said.
Loved ones say that same bravery defined his final moments. “RJ courageously defended a fellow student at Rose State College from a gunman,” McBride told mourners. “Before RJ died, he fought with superhuman determination without a thought for his own life.”
Long’s mother, Kelly Long, expressed gratitude for the verdict. “I am so thankful for the jury that we had. I was just praying for them as they were leaving to go deliberate,” she said. “I think they made the right choices. I’m so thankful for our judicial system and thankful for our jurists.”
While Morrissette faces a life sentence for the murder, his legal troubles aren’t over. He is also facing separate charges for possessing child sexual abuse material in another case.
This is so senseless, duh, you lose the wife anyway!!!
This Marine sounded like a wonderful young man. I pray peace
for his family and that he is now walking the streets
of gold in heaven with Jesus!
Doesn’t the dummy know you’re supposed to shoot the wife, not the poor slob she’s boffing. In this case, the poor marine probably was just a friend.
Imagine this is the only solution to his problem.Has he not heard about divorce
morrissette doesn’t look like the sharpest knife in the drawer….
Bet he drives a jacked-up, black pick-up with black tinted windows and loves to tailgate. I see him every day on every interstate in Amerika….