Laura Lee Owens, a 20-year-old woman, was tragically murdered on September 27, 1986, in Lancaster, Texas. She was one of three victims in a gruesome crime that shocked the local community. Owens lived in the home of Donna Jester, who had taken her in as a lodger. Donna also cared for her bedridden adoptive mother, Dalpha Jester. The three women were brutally attacked and killed with a hatchet inside their residence.
The investigation into the murders quickly led authorities to David
Martin Long, a drifter whom Donna had invited into her home just days before the killings. According to Donna’s diary, she had picked up Long while he was hitchhiking and allowed him to stay in her home in exchange for performing household repairs. However, Long later confessed that he had grown tired of the women’s bickering and decided to kill them. On the day of the murders, he first attacked Donna with the hatchet, then turned on Dalpha Jester. Owens was killed when she returned home from work.
The crime scene was horrific, with blood splattered throughout the house. The murder weapon was found cleaned and wrapped in a towel inside a bathroom sink. Authorities discovered Donna’s diary, which provided crucial details about Long’s presence in the home and his interactions with the victims. Although Long was arrested for drunken driving in Buffalo on the same day as the murders, his initial confession was dismissed by police, who had not yet discovered the bodies.
Once the bodies were found, law enforcement launched a manhunt for Long, eventually capturing him in Austin, Texas, a month later. During his trial in 1987, Long was convicted on three counts of capital murder. He admitted to the killings and even requested the death penalty, fearing he would kill again if given the chance. Long was sentenced to death and was executed by lethal injection on December 8, 1999. His case remains a chilling example of how a seemingly small act of kindness led to a devastating crime.
