Rose State shooter found guilty

Jury recommends life without parole

By Katrina Crumbacher
Midwest City Beacon

 

After a three-day trial, a jury found Brandon Morrissette, 32, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Robenie Long, a Rose State College student and Marine reservist.

 

The jury also found Morrissette guilty of possession of a weapon on school property and recommended life without parole, the maximum in non-capital, first-degree murder.

 

On April 24, 2023, the Midwest City Police Department arrested Morrissette minutes after he shot and killed Long outside the Rose State College Humanities building. According to the evidence presented, Morrissette shot Long seven times.

 

Originally from New Hampshire, Morrissette enlisted in the Air Force after earning a bachelor’s degree in finance. During his studies, he spent two years studying at the University of Korea as an exchange student, which is where he met Yingzi Li, the woman who would later become his wife. He had initially wanted to go into the Marines, but Li and his mother persuaded him otherwise.

 

Though Morrissette wanted to work in intelligence, the Air Force assigned him to the Security Forces, which are responsible for “missile security, defending air bases around the globe, law enforcement on those bases, combat arms and handling military working dogs,” according to its website.

 

Morrissette testified that his relationship with Li, a Chinese citizen, was a key factor in his inability to acquire the necessary security clearance. After training, the Air Force stationed Morrissette at Tinker Air Force Base. During his service, Morrissette managed to take a month-long leave to marry Li in China, then later brought her to the United States. Before being discharged amid a court martial, Morrissette earned a marksmanship ribbon and a couple awards.

 

Representing Morrissette were attorneys David Smith and Kenneth Adair, both longtime defense lawyers. In the defense’s opening statement on Tuesday, Smith did not deny that Morrissette had killed Long nor did he deny that Morrissette carried a weapon on school property. He even went so far as to tell the jury that they were going to find Morrissette guilty of the second charge.

 

Instead, Smith argued that Morrissette’s autism diagnosis made it difficult for him to read social cues, leading him to believe he needed to defend himself against Long, who Morrissette claimed to perceive as a physical threat.

 

Prior to the day of the shooting, the evidence presented indicates Li had been texting Long, a psychology classmate. As the defense’s last witness, Morrissette took the stand and testified that when he read Li’s messages, he believed she was having an affair.

 

The day of the shooting, Morrissette testified that he saw Long and Li walking together next to the Humanities building from where he was sitting in the Rose State College mall. As Li did not have a driver’s license, Morrissette ferried Li from their home in Noble to Rose State College and back.

 

After approaching the pair from behind and getting their attention, Morrissette claimed Long clenched his fists and took an offensive stance, which he interpreted as threatening. Furthermore, Morrissette claimed Long was preparing to punch him with something clenched in his fist.

 

When testifying to his actions that day, Morrissette said he was “scared and confused” and “afraid of death” because Long was roughly six inches taller and more muscular.

 

Whether Morrissette’s loaded Sig Sauer P365 9mm pistol was in his hand as the prosecution insisted or in his black backpack as the defense maintained, the backpack also held five fully loaded magazines. Morrissette testified that he intended to go to the shooting range at H&H Shooting Sports off Interstate 40 before heading back home. In the end, Morrissette shot Long and made no effort to dispute it in his testimony.

 

“The threat that he made towards me was extinguished,” Morrissette said as he recounted the incident.

 

Morrissette’s cell phone records indicate he called 911 twice after shooting Long, but neither call went through.

 

Representing the state of Oklahoma in this case were Assistant District Attorneys Bryan King and Rob McClatchie. Per usual, the prosecution gave its closing argument first, followed by the defense, then the prosecution one last time to counter any of the defense’s points. When it was the defense’s turn, attorney David Smith was quite solemn when he approached the podium.

 

“When I get done over the next few minutes,” Smith said, “I will have done everything I can do for Brandon Morrissette.”

 

Smith thanked the jury and proceeded to argue against the holes the prosecution tried to poke in the defense’s case minutes before.

 

“The state has not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that it wasn’t self-defense, so you have to acquit,” Smith said.

 

In the end, Smith entrusted Morrissette’s fate to the jury.

 

“Now the time has come that I have to let him go,” Smith said. “I put him in your hands.”

 

When Assistant District Attorney King came to the podium to round out closing statements, he called Morrissette a “ticking time bomb” and a “narcissist.”

 

“If this was a case that was self-defense, then we wouldn’t be at trial right now,” King said.

 

Before sitting back down, King addressed Smith’s closing argument and asked the jury to “do the right thing.”

 

“Do justice in this case,” King said.

 

After the jury returned the guilty verdicts, Smith said in an interview that Morrissette’s fate isn’t yet set in stone as they will “arrange for him to have an appeals lawyer” after his sentencing on Oct. 14.

 

Morrissette is also facing a separate charge of possession of obscene material involving the participation of a minor under the age of 18, which police found on his phone. The case is ongoing.