Published: August 06, 2008 11:17 pm      

Murder convict seeking release

NEW GERMANY — Karl Long, a local native and former Ligonier podiatrist convicted of killing his estranged wife, again is seeking parole from state prison.

Long, 49, was convicted of third-degree murder in 2003 of smothering 40-year-old Elaine Long to death with a dry cleaning bag.

Long maintained that his wife’s death in 1999 was an accident. He is serving five to

10 years at SCI-Mercer.

His sentence will expire in July 2012. Long has asked

for early release, and the

state Board of Probation and Parole is scheduled to interview him in October.

In 2007, the board rejected his first petition for parole, saying he didn’t deserve it. The board said that at times Long continued to minimize his crime and lacked remorse.

District Attorney John Peck and Elaine Long’s family oppose the parole request. The family has contended his sentence was too short.

Peck had sought the maximum term of 20 to 40 years because of the seriousness of the crime.

But Judge William Ober, in imposing a lesser sentence, noted that Long had been an upstanding member of his community and had no prior criminal record.