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Man pleads guilty, avoids death penalty in slaying of girlfriend

A man who had been facing the death penalty for killing his girlfriend, shooting at a Las Vegas police officer and engaging in an hourslong standoff with police accepted a plea bargain Wednesday as a jury was being selected for his trial.

Michael S. Long, 35, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm out of a structure and discharging a firearm into a structure.

Authorities said that in May 2010 Long shot and killed 28-year-old Stefany Sommers, who was found in the master bedroom of a home that she and Long shared with three other roommates at 3804 Terrazzo Ave., near Cheyenne Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard North.

As officers arrived, Long fired shots through broken-out windows and then barricaded himself in the apartment, according to a police report.

As he surrendered, Long said, “I killed her,” when asked about Sommers.

Long also had been facing charges in connection with a home invasion. That case will be dismissed as part the plea negotiations in the murder case, according to Special Public Defender David Schieck.

“I think it’s a fair resolution,” Schieck said.

Long is expected to receive a sentence of 35 years to life in prison at a March 1 sentencing.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.

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