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Pair charged with decades-old murder of woman in Palmdale [updated]

by The AV Times Staff • May 26, 2015

Leslie Long (Photo courtesy Crimestoppers)
Leslie Long (Photo courtesy Crimestoppers)

LANCASTER – Two men were charged Tuesday with the capital murder of Leslie Long, a mother of three killed more than 35 years ago after she was abducted from the Palmdale gas station where she worked.

Terry Moses and Neal Antoine Matthews, both 58, were each charged with one count of capital murder and special circumstance allegations of murder during a robbery, murder during a kidnapping and murder during a rape, making them eligible for the death penalty if convicted, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

On Dec. 3, 1978, 20-year-old Leslie Long was working a Sunday night shift at a Chevron gas station, on the corner of Palmdale Boulevard and Division, when she was robbed and kidnapped.

Authorities said earlier that the robbers took money from a floor safe before kidnapping Long, whose body was found three days later at the base of a small hill just off the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway at Soledad Canyon Road in Acton, eight miles from the gas station. She had been sexually assaulted and shot.

DNA evidence ties both men to Long’s murder, according to Deputy District Attorney Tannaz Mokayef.

One of the men, Terry Moses, is currently serving a 25-year-to-life sentence at Soledad State Prison for an unrelated crime. Moses is also charged with two other counts of murder stemming from the Aug. 22, 1976, killings of Carlton Goodwin and Michael Fuqua and one count of attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill Kenney Guevara on Dec. 7, 1996, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The criminal complaint also includes the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders against Moses.

Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against the two, who are scheduled to be arraigned June 16 in an Antelope Valley courtroom.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

UPDATED 5/27/15: SUSPECTS WERE ACTIVE GANG MEMBERS

A press statement released Wednesday, May 27, from the Sheriff’s Information Bureau revealed more details on the Leslie Long murder case and how detectives identified the suspects after 37 years. Read the statement below:

On Sunday, Dec. 3, 1978, between 8 p.m. and 10:05 p.m., 20-year-old Leslie Long, a married woman and mother of three young children, was working alone as an employee of a gas station on Palmdale Boulevard and Division Street, in the City of Palmdale.

During those hours, two black male suspects entered the gas station with a handgun and robbed Leslie Long of an undisclosed amount of money from the store’s floor safe, leaving coinage strewn about the floor. The suspects then kidnapped Leslie Long at gunpoint, forced her into their vehicle and drove away, south on the Antelope Valley Freeway toward Los Angeles. After driving for some time, the suspects pulled off the freeway and drove to a deserted area, where both suspects then raped her. After the rape, the suspects shot Leslie Long multiple times, killing her. Both suspects returned to their vehicle and fled the scene.

During the manhunt for Leslie Long’s killers in 1978, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detectives were assigned the case. At the time of their investigation, detectives were unable to identify the suspect(s) involved in the horrific crime.

For the past 37 years, the criminal case remained unsolved, although having been investigated by various detectives. However, in an unrelenting effort, the case was again reviewed in March of 2006, where new leads, tips, persons of interest, and the re-examination of physical evidence submitted to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s crime lab left no stone unturned during the many hours dedicated to the investigation in the several years that followed. And with the great advances of DNA technology, the sperm of Neal Matthews and Terry Moses was found on Leslie Long, linking them to her death, decades later.

Suspect Neal Matthews, a 58-year-old Black male, was arrested on Thursday, May 21, 2015, at his residence in Lancaster. Suspect Matthews was booked at Lancaster Sheriff’s Station and appeared at the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse on Tuesday, May 26, 2015. He is currently being held without bail.

Suspect Terry Moses, a 59-year-old Black male, is currently serving a life sentence on an unrelated case. On Tuesday, May 26, 2015, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed an arrest warrant on Terry Moses for the murder of Leslie Long. Suspect Moses will be arraigned at the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse at a later date.

At the time of the murder, both suspects were active gang members.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department would like to extend their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Leslie Long, and that a sense of closure, peace and relief can be obtained with the identity of two perpetrators who will come before the justice system. It is also our hope that with the continued advancement of DNA technology and the tireless effort of the men and women of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in keeping the public safe, that these types of violent crimes are prevented.

If you have any information about this case, you are asked to please come forward and contact Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Homicide Bureau Detective Steven Lankford, currently assigned to the case, at (323) 890-5500. If you have inquiries about the booking photos, they will not be released at this time.

–

Previous related stories:

Reward over murdered Palmdale woman cold case extended

Palmdale murder to be featured on Crime Stoppers Sunday

$26,000 reward over murdered Palmdale woman cold-case

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

14 comments for "Pair charged with decades-old murder of woman in Palmdale [updated]"

  1. sierrahwy says

    June 5, 2015 at 7:12 am

    does race always have to be in the forefront of things?oh yeah for the real racists it does

  2. Mike says

    May 29, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    Hang one from a tree somewhere in town and wrap the other one in chains and throw him in the aqueduct.

    • Robert says

      June 4, 2015 at 11:04 pm

      That seems to kind of a way to exterminate the scum of killers and rapists.

  3. Christine says

    May 28, 2015 at 8:52 am

    Two black males? You don’t say? WHERE IS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ON THIS? Oh that’s right, they were just two “misunderstood” boys who were ‘victims” of oppression. GOD I’m so sick of the media hiding the truth–they released the names but not the race of the perps–AS USUAL! I truly pray these two SCUMBAGS are made to suffer twice as much as that poor woman did. Time for public executions and to let the victim’s families do whatever they want to the perps! HEATHENS!

    • Mark says

      May 29, 2015 at 10:22 am

      This happened in 1978, I’m not the best with time frames, but if my mind serves me right Obama didn’t get elected until 2008 which would 40 years later, and didn’t take office until 2009 which would be 41 years later. Really do we have to make everything political?

      • William says

        May 29, 2015 at 2:16 pm

        @Mark

        Christine truly represents her ilk.

    • Sam says

      July 26, 2015 at 10:34 pm

      Tell me about it!

  4. G says

    May 27, 2015 at 6:54 pm

    I hope they rot. Disgusting animals.

  5. Nancy P says

    May 27, 2015 at 9:39 am

    Anyone know where they caught Neal Matthews?
    Being a kidnap victim, who lived to tell, this story gave me chills.
    I am so sorry for her family and friends. These new arrests, while giving you some type of relief, are also stirring up lots of old feelings from 35 years ago. I hope you all find some peace in knowing these boogie men, are not on the street anymore.

    • moll flanders says

      May 27, 2015 at 6:36 pm

      Nancy P…Reuters article said Neal Matthews was arrested at his home in Lancaster Ca. last week.

  6. Sam says

    May 27, 2015 at 7:51 am

    I’m sure some liberal judge will give them a light sentence.

    • mark says

      May 29, 2015 at 9:59 am

      lets have this go through the court system before we try and figure out their sentencing. At least the family has some closure.

  7. Leslie Harman says

    May 26, 2015 at 11:31 pm

    Patsy, I thought of you today when I heard KFI report a brief story about a Palmdale woman wondered if it was the case about your sister. I was able to find the articles here and read the related articles. Praying that you and your family will finally have closure.
    Sincerely Leslie Harman

  8. john fisher says

    May 26, 2015 at 10:45 pm

    Glad they caught em.

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