With his parents dead, a younger brother charged with their murder and his smallest siblings still hospitalized from the attack, Jacob Long is spending his days in a condition he describes as “surreal.”
“It’s good to know who did it isn’t still out there, but it is horrible knowing who that person is,” Long said.
Long, 25 and the eldest of seven kids, grew up in the same house where his father, Charles, 50, and his mother, Marilyn, 51, were found shot to death in the Eastern Plains town of Burlington.
Long’s two youngest siblings, Ethan, 9, and Sarah, 5, were critically injured.
In an interview with The Denver Post, Long spoke of what he will miss most and how he’s unable to fathom what could have caused the rampage that police said his 12-year-old brother went on last week.
“I have heard a few rumors that this was brought on by abuse — that is absolutely not true,” Long said. “That absolutely would not happen.”
Instead, Long described growing up in a kind and “strong Christian house.”
The house, which sits on the corner of a quiet neighborhood on the east side of town, was just big enough for the large family.
All seven children were home- schooled by their mother, an environment Long valued as a child.
“I liked being home and being able to do stuff with the family,” Long said. “All of us kids hung out together, went to the park together.”
His mother loved to teach the children how things worked. She planned field trips to such places such as the Buffalo Bill Museum and the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.
“We all felt like we couldn’t have grown up in a better household,” Long said.
That household was shattered the night of March 1 when Long started to get phone calls about a swarm of police cars and flashing lights outside his parents’ home.
Initially, Long was told someone had broken into the home, but he later learned his younger brother was the suspect.
“Disbelief, it’s very surreal,” Long said. “He was a loving and well-behaved child.”
Long, who still lives in Burlington with his wife and daughter, maintained a close relationship with the boy, who babysat for Long’s child on a couple of occasions.
Treated as a juvenile
District Attorney Robert Watson filed a petition in juvenile court Friday declaring the boy a delinquent in the killings. The boy’s name is being withheld by The Post because he is being treated as a juvenile.
Watson said he will not decide whether to ask a judge to transfer the case to district court for adult charges until he has talked with the family and considered all the factors in the case.
As details about the slayings are revealed, the siblings come up with questions. Long said he has become the “point man” for his siblings.
“They are just trying to cope, just about the same way I am,” Long said. “We’re all pretty close, and we can hold together pretty well.”
Daily routines are in disarray. The older children spend most of their time taking turns sitting bedside with their siblings and driving almost three hours from Burlington to Children’s Hospital in Aurora, where Ethan and Sarah are steadily improving.
The two injured children have asked few questions, having “a pretty good idea about what happened,” Long said. The older kids haven’t yet discussed permanent custody arrangements for them.
“A shoulder to cry on”
“All you can do is be there for them,” Long said of all his siblings. “Give them something to do, someone to talk to and a shoulder to cry on. That’s about all you can do.”
The 12-year-old, who remains in juvenile detention, got a visit Tuesday from his uncle, Wally Long, Charles’ brother.
The two had a “very basic” conversation that lasted about five minutes, Wally Long said. “He seemed content with where he was and said he was being treated well.”
Jacob Long said he thinks he will miss the family dinners most of all. His father drove a delivery truck for Frito-Lay, and they all tried to gather for dinner when they could.
“Dad always got off work late in the afternoon, and Mom always had something good to eat,” Long said.
His dad, who loved being outside, had recently taught himself to ride the unicycle — part of a life spent pursuing new experiences while Marilyn had primary responsibility for the kids.
“Mom, she took great care of the kids,” Long said. “She very much gave up herself to others.”
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
What’s next
Services for Charles and Marilyn Long begin at 11 a.m. Friday at Burlington Community Center.
How to help
A memorial fund has been created, with the proceeds benefiting the Longs’ children. Donations to the Charles and Marilyn Long Memorial Fund can be sent to the Bank of Burlington, P.O. Box 129, Burlington, CO 80807.
