SEMINOLE COUNTY, OK – A Seminole County woman, sentenced last year in connection with her boyfriend’s death in a 2019 car crash, is now seeking a new trial, claiming ineffective legal counsel and a denial of her rights. Natasha Long, who entered a Nolo Contendere plea in 2024, was sentenced to a 10-year deferred sentence, with four years in prison and six years on probation.
The incident in question occurred in the summer of 2019 when Long was driving a convertible at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. She lost control of the vehicle, which crashed into a concrete block, burst into flames, and tragically trapped her boyfriend, Trayvon Miller, inside. Long admitted to being behind the wheel, while Miller was a passenger in the car.
At the time of her sentencing, Long was asked by a News 4 employee if she felt remorse for the incident. She responded, “Yes, I’m sorry” but later clarified, “No, I don’t.”
However, Long’s legal team is now challenging the plea agreement. In a December 2024 post-conviction relief application, they claim Long did not receive effective assistance from her trial counsel. The application suggests that her defense team failed to properly explain potential defenses to the manslaughter charge she faced. Furthermore, Long argues that she was denied a fair trial and that she should have been allowed to withdraw her guilty plea. The filing notes that Long missed the deadline for making a direct appeal to her conviction, partly due to what she describes as inadequate legal advice.
In January 2025, part of Long’s defense team filed a motion requesting a judicial review of her sentence, asking the court to modify her sentence. However, a February response from the Seminole County District Judge denied this request because Long was not present for the motion.
Legal expert Lloyd Palmer, representing Miller’s family, stated that while Long has the right to pursue her legal options, he expressed concern about the lack of notice given to Miller’s family regarding upcoming hearings. Palmer noted that his firm was not informed about the March 11 and March 25 hearings until March 7. “We had almost no notice,” Palmer said, emphasizing that his client was aware of the hearings before he was. He argued that attorneys must be notified promptly to ensure transparency in the legal process.
On March 9, a virtual hearing was held where both sides presented their arguments regarding Long’s post-conviction relief application and motion for judicial review. Palmer’s team filed an objection to these requests, asserting that Miller’s family should have been given proper notice. Court documents indicated that neither Miller’s family nor Palmer’s law firm had been notified about the filings.
In response, the Seminole County judge issued a ruling stating that, while the defense team had not been involved when Palmer’s firm filed an entry of appearance and request for notice in 2023, neither the application for post-conviction relief nor the motion for judicial review were mailed to Miller’s family. The judge emphasized that the Oklahoma Constitution guarantees victims the right to reasonable and timely notice of legal proceedings, and because the family had not received adequate notice, the hearing dates would be struck.
The judge also noted that there is no clear guidance under the Constitution regarding which party is responsible for notifying the victim, though it could be the state’s duty in some cases. The case is set for a follow-up virtual meeting on Wednesday for scheduling purposes.
Miller’s family, through their legal representation, criticized Long for failing to offer any compensation for funeral expenses or the loss of their loved one, despite her efforts to modify her sentence. As the legal battle continues, both sides await the next steps in this complex case.
