David Martin Long: The Texas Drifter Who Confessed to Multiple Murders
Early Life and Years of Instability
David Martin Long was born on July 15, 1953, in Tom Green County, Texas. Although he was born in Texas, much of his childhood was spent in California. His early years were marked by instability, neglect and the death of his mother when he was about ten years old. Long was subsequently placed in foster homes and reform institutions, beginning a pattern of confinement, substance abuse and troubled behavior that continued throughout his life.
Long began drinking heavily at a young age and later used drugs including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. As an adult, he moved frequently, worked temporary jobs and repeatedly entered alcohol-treatment programs. People who encountered him sometimes described him as intelligent, charming and capable of making a favorable first impression. Others recalled that he could become demanding, threatening and unpredictable when intoxicated.
The 1978 Killing of James Carnell
Long later confessed that his first known murder occurred in San Bernardino, California, in 1978. The victim was James Carnell, a service-station attendant. According to Long, an argument began after he believed Carnell had charged him too much for repairing a tire. Long claimed that he attacked Carnell with a tire iron and then forced a broom handle down the victim's throat.
Long was not tried for Carnell's death. His account was given years later while he was being questioned about the murders that ultimately sent him to death row. Investigators reportedly connected him to the California case, but the absence of a separate trial meant that the murder remained an admitted or attributed crime rather than one established through a conviction against Long.
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