ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- Rich Heckman is a father of four. He's also a former neighbor of Omar Long. Long was found guilty of manslaughter for leaving his 23-month-old baby in a hot car for nearly six hours.
"Unbelievable. Just unbelievable. I can't see anybody doing that," said Heckman.
It took jurors five hours to bring back the guilty verdict.
That day, after taking his girlfriend to work, Long went back home to sleep.
Prosecutors say he had been drinking and forgot the baby was in the back seat.
One neighbor told us it was a horrible mistake.
"What I've seen from him, he's a good dad. He loves his kids and takes care of them and spends time with them."
Long's family left the courtroom upset and didn't want to talk on camera.
They lost a little girl and now long may have to go to jail.
Heckman says it is where Long belongs.
"He's gotta suffer as much as the rest of the family," he said. "That's just a shock when it happened."
Long's attorney says the state didn't prove its case and places blame on the baby's mother. The defense plans to file a motion for a new trial.
