The defendant in a 2005 attempted murder cold case being heard this week in Covington County testified Tuesday that he fought with his alleged victim in an argument over the sale of prescription pills, and that the victim shot at him.

Jackie Long is charged with burglary first-degree, robbery first-degree and attempted murder. The charges stem from an alleged home invasion that occurred shortly after daylight on Dec. 31, 2005. The jury is expected to hear closing arguments beginning at 9 today.

Long, who was the defense’s only witness, testified that he went to the residence of Henry Jordan that morning to purchase prescription pills, and that eventually an argument ensued over where Jordan had obtained the pills.

Long testified that Jordan told him to “get the (expletive omitted) out of his house,” and that he asked Jordan “are you (expletive omitted) for real.” He then testified that Jordan again told him to get out, and proceeded to pull a gun and shoot at him.

Long said that he immediately grabbed the gun with his left hand and began beating Jordan with his right hand. 

“I probably hit him four or five times,” he said. “I know it looks severe, and I’m sorry for that.”

Long testified that he feared for his life, and he was afraid Jordan would kill him.

Monday, Jordan’s wife and youngest son, David, testified that his eye was out of its socket, he had a large gash above his eye, and he had blood coming out his nose and ears.

District Attorney Walt Merrell asked Long if he hit Jordan with the gun to cause the large gash.

Long said he did not.

Long also testified that he gave Sylvia Long the gun he took from her husband and told her to call an ambulance, and that her husband had shot at him.

Merrell asked Long why he didn’t leave.

“I had just hurt a man, and wanted to try to straighten it out,” he said. “I did not go there to rob the man or jump on him.”

Long testified his appearance at the Jordan residence was the third that week. Long said he had spent hundreds of dollars on pills on the 28th and the 30th, and had gone back on the 31st with more than $700 in cash.

The Jordans testified they had not seen Long before. However, Sylvia Jordan thought she associated him with a man building a deck for her home in exchange for her husband’s pills.

Buddy Jordan, the eldest son of Sylvia and Henry Jordan, testified that he escorted the men out of the residence, but said he couldn’t remember what they looked like or what they were wearing.

“It doesn’t make sense that you can’t tell me what they were wearing,” Merrell said.

Buddy Jordan also testified that his father had prescriptions for Lortab, Oxycontin, methadone and oxycodone, and that he sold pills when the family needed money.

Buddy Jordan also admitted to handling illegal transactions for his father from time-to-time, and that his father had a few regular customers.

The jury also heard testimony from Shelia Haun, who was a confidential informant, who wore a wire and testified she had known Jackie Long her entire life.

She also testified that she had purchased pills from Long.

In the tape from Haun, Long admitted that something happened in Alabama.

The tape was brought into the picture when Oklaloosa County, Fla., Investigator Mike Irwin came to Opp to talk to Opp Police Department Investigator Walter Inabinett about a separate case.

Irwin testified that he had been “a little frustrated” because he had contacted the Covington County Sheriff’s Office, but had not gotten anywhere.

Inabinett took him to see Merrell, and was in turn placed in touch with Chris Inabinett, a former Covington County deputy, who was the first on the scene the day of the alleged home invasion.

Irwin testified to an email exchange with Covington County Investigator Ted Motley and said that Motley said he recalled the incident, but that was the end of the exchange.

The state also called Billy Allen to the stand. Allen said he had known Long since he was 13.

He testified that he had purchased pills from Long in the past and that he knew that Long sold pills.

Allen testified that Long told him that he knew where a “honey hole” was where a guy had a bunch of pills and that he was going to go and take everything the guy had.

Allen said that he had two conversations with Long in which he talked about crossing the Alabama line to go to “a house on stilts.”

In the second conversation, Allen testified that Long told him that he hit the “honey hole” and took what he had. Allen also testified that Long told him that he took his toboggan, mask, shirt, etc., and placed it in a creek.

Long testified that everything Allen said on the stand was false.

The jury also heard from Jean Collins, who testified she had known Long for nine or 10 years, and that she and her sister went to Long’s home to talk to him because he was scared because he had “done something bad.”

She said Long never answered her question of what he had done wrong.

She also testified that Long called her and asked her to take him to Alabama, but said she couldn’t because she had a small child and refused to take the child out.

Long also said Collins lied in her testimony.

Long’s stepmother, Loretta Long, also testified that he used and abused prescription pills and that she knew he preferred Somas and Oxycontin.

She also testified that her husband, Jerry, received a letter in July of 2013 from Long that also contained a letter for Jerry Long to send to Shane Long, who was incarcerated in the Covington County Jail at the time.

The letter basically told Shane to keep his mouth shut and that he knew that they did not hurt anyone.

Loretta Long testified that Jerry Long never forwarded the letter to his grandson.

Long testified that he was trying to protect his son by telling him to keep his mouth shut.

Defense attorney David Baker also submitted a motion for a judgment of acquittal for each of the three charges.

Circuit Judge Lex Short denied the motions.

Closing arguments are set to begin at 9 a.m., today.