In the summer of 2010, a violent encounter in the quiet Sierra Verde Ranch area of Seligman, Arizona, resulted in the tragic death of 62-year-old Lorraine Pauline Long. A female resident of Phoenix, Long was discovered fatally shot in her Seligman home on August 6th. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, responding to the incident, found a grim scene that suggested a violent struggle.
At the heart of the investigation was 52-year-old Robert Wiesner of Mesa, who was found at the residence with a gunshot wound. Initially, the circumstances were unclear, leading investigators to consider the possibility of a botched murder-suicide. Wiesner was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment and was subsequently taken into custody as the primary suspect in Long's death. It was determined that Long and Wiesner were acquainted, and authorities believed a domestic dispute that may have started in the Phoenix area had escalated to its fatal conclusion in Seligman.
The legal proceedings that followed brought some measure of closure to the case. In May of 2015, Robert Wiesner, then 57, pleaded guilty to charges of murder and burglary in connection with Lorraine Long's death. He was sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison by the Yavapai County Superior Court—22 years for the murder and an additional five for the burglary. During the sentencing, the court heard from Long's daughter, who spoke of the profound and lasting impact her mother's violent death had on their family. Wiesner offered an apology to the family for his actions.
