Robert Joseph "Bobby Joe" Long (October 14, 1953 – May 23, 2019) was an American

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

and rapist who was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

by the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

for the murder of Michelle Denise Simms. Long abducted,

sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, whic ...

, and

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

ed at least ten women in the

Tampa Bay area The Tampa Bay area is a major populated area surrounding Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 18th largest metropolitan area in the Unite ...

in Florida during an eight-month period in 1984. He released 17-year-old Lisa McVey after 26 hours. McVey provided critical information to the police that enabled them to arrest Long. Long was also a serial rapist. Long was sentenced to death for two of the ten murders he was suspected of committing. He was executed by

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...

on May 23, 2019.

Early life

Robert Joseph Long was born on October 14, 1953 in

Kenova, West Virginia Kenova is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States, situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. Located near a tristate border, the city's name is a portmanteau of Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia (Va). Founded in 1 ...

, to Joe and Louetta Long. Long was born with an extra X chromosome, also known as 47,XXY, a specific variant of

Klinefelter syndrome Klinefelter syndrome (KS), also known as 47,XXY, is an aneuploid genetic condition where a male has an additional copy of the X chromosome. The primary features are infertility and small, poorly functioning testicles. Usually, symptoms are sub ...

. This condition results in excessive estrogen production yielding some female traits such as breast development. Long was teased as a child for his large breasts and underwent breast reduction surgery in adolescence. He had also suffered multiple head injuries as a child resulting from diverse accidents. Long had a dysfunctional relationship with his mother; he slept in her bed until he was a teenager and reportedly resented her multiple short-term boyfriends she brought with her when returning home late at night from her job. Long married his high school girlfriend in 1974, with whom he had two children before she filed for

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...

in 1980.

Crimes

Long committed at least 50

rapes Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, Abusive power and control, ...

as the "Classified Ad Rapist" in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facer ...

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, and Dade County. Starting around 1981, Long began contacting women through the '' Penny Saver'' and other classified ads. When Long found a woman alone, he asked to use the bathroom, took out his "rape kit" and raped and robbed the woman. Long was tried and convicted for rape in 1981 but requested a new trial, which was granted. The charges were later dropped. Long moved to the Tampa Bay area in 1983. In 1984, while on

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

for

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in cr ...

, Long raped and strangled 20-year-old Artiss "Ann" Wick in March; her body was discovered in a rural area on November 22, 1984. She had reportedly hitch-hiked from

Gas City, Indiana Gas City is a city in Grant County, Indiana, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 5,965 at the 2010 census. History Gas City was first known as Harrisburg when settled on May 25, 1867, by Noah Harris. It became something of a boom t ...

to Tampa, and was engaged to be married. Over the next eight months, Long abducted, raped, and murdered at least 10 women in three counties in the Tampa Bay area (Hillsborough, Pasco, and

Pinellas Pinellas is the name of a peninsula located roughly halfway down the west coast of Florida. It forms the western boundary of Tampa Bay and comprises the bulk of Pinellas County. There is a city named Pinellas Park in south Pinellas. The peninsul ...

). The investigation involved personnel from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office ( HCSO), the FBI, the Tampa Police Department ( TPD), the Pasco County Sheriff's Office ( PCSO), and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ( FDLE). The bodies of the victims were typically found in a state of decomposition long after the murders, having been dumped near a rural roadside or dragged into the woods. Long appears to have targeted vulnerable women, including abducting women walking alone and those working as sex workers, persuading women to enter his car where he would rape and torture them. Of Long's 10 known victims, five of the women were identified as known sex workers, two as

exotic dancers A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exot ...

. The remaining three victims were a factory worker, a student, and one with an unknown occupation. During this period, Long also continued his classified-ad rapes, attacking 33-year-old Linda Nuttall in her home. In the early hours of November 3, 1984, Long abducted 17-year-old Lisa McVey as she rode her bike home from work. She was blindfolded and taken to Long's home, where he repeatedly raped her. Aware of the danger she was in, the blindfolded McVey reported leaving as many fingerprints in Long's home as she could to aid any future police investigation. After 26 hours, Long released McVey and she provided investigators with information on his home, car and a time period in which she heard him use an ATM. This led to police identifying Long and he was arrested on November 16, 1984. He was linked to the murders through red carpet fibers found on the bodies of several victims.

Known victims

* Artiss "Ann" Wick, 20 – killed on March 27, 1984 * Ngeun Thi Long, 19 – killed on May 13, 1984 * Michelle Denise Simms, 22 – killed on May 27, 1984 * Linda Nuttall, 33 – assaulted in May 1984; survived * Elizabeth Loudenback, 22 – killed on June 8, 1984 * Vicky Marie Elliott, 21 – killed on September 7, 1984 * Chanel Devoun Williams, 18 – killed on October 7, 1984 * Karen Beth Dinsfriend, 28 – killed on October 14, 1984 * Kimberly Kyle Hopps, 22 – killed on October 31, 1984 * Lisa McVey, 17 – assaulted on November 3, 1984; survived * Virginia Lee Johnson, 18 – killed on November 6, 1984 * Kim Marie Swann, 21 – killed on November 11, 1984

Capture

At the time of his capture, Long was wanted in three Tampa Bay area jurisdictions where investigators had collected multiple forms of

forensic evidence Forensic identification is the application of forensic science, or "forensics", and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave, often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. Forensic means "for the courts". H ...

, including clothing, carpet fibers,

semen Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is an organic bodily fluid created to contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize the female ovum. Sem ...

, ligature marks, and rope knots. Long was arrested outside a movie theater on November 16, 1984, and charged with the

sexual battery Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more generally to refer t ...

and kidnapping of Lisa McVey. Long signed a formal Miranda waiver, and consented to questioning. After the detectives procured a confession for the McVey case, their questioning focused on a series of unsolved sexual battery homicides in the Tampa Bay area. As the detectives questioned Long about the murders, he replied, "I'd rather not answer that." The detectives continued the interrogation, and handed Long photographs of the various murder victims. At this point, Long stated, "The complexion of things sure have icchanged since you came back into the room. I think I might need an attorney." No attorney was provided, and Long eventually confessed to eight murders in Hillsborough County, and one murder in Pasco County.

Fiber Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...

evidence analysis by the FBI linked Long's vehicle to most of his victims.

Trial

The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office and the Public Defender's Office of Hillsborough County reached a

plea bargain A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or ''nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendant ...

deal. Long pled guilty on September 24, 1985, to eight of the homicides and the abduction and rape of Lisa McVey, receiving 26

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes ...

s without the possibility of

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

(24 concurrent and two to run consecutively to the first 24) and seven life sentences with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The State retained the option to seek the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

for the murder of Michelle Simms. In July 1986, Long was found guilty and was sentenced to die in Florida's

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

. Although Long confessed to raping and killing women, his confession was thrown out. His trial proceeded straight to the penalty phase, which was possible in the 1980s. In early 1985, he received the death penalty. Long was convicted and

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

ed his first degree murder conviction and death sentence for crimes committed in Hillsborough County. Long appealed his first degree murder conviction and sentence of death in the death of Virginia Johnson. On appeal, Long's death sentence was vacated, his conviction reversed, and his case remanded back to the trial court with directions to enter an order of

acquittal In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

for the murder of Virginia Johnson. On February 24, 1999, Long accused the Capital Collateral Regional Council (the state office defending death row inmates in their appeals) of revealing his private letters to a book author, thus violating

attorney–client privilege Attorney–client privilege or lawyer–client privilege is the name given to the common law concept of legal professional privilege in the United States. Attorney–client privilege is " client's right to refuse to disclose and to prevent any ...

. He also accused the agency of running a "death pool," betting on the dates on which inmates would be executed, and asked that the agency be removed from his case. An investigation concluded that these allegations were unfounded. Long's petition for a

writ of mandamus (; ) is a judicial remedy in the form of an order from a court to any government, subordinate court, corporation, or public authority, to do (or forbear from doing) some specific act which that body is obliged under law to do (or refrain fro ...

to require Bob Dillinger, the public defender for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, to relinquish possession and control of his file in ''State v. Long,'' was denied. According to the

Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Department of Corrections operates state prisons in the U.S. state of Florida. It has its headquarters in Florida's capital of Tallahassee. The Florida Department of Corrections operates the third largest state prison system in t ...

, Long was ultimately serving one five-year sentence, four 99-year sentences, 28 life sentences, and one death sentence.

Execution

On April 23, 2019, Florida Governor

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Repres ...

signed Long's

death warrant An execution warrant (also called death warrant or black warrant) is a writ that authorizes the execution of a condemned person. An execution warrant is not to be confused with a " license to kill", which operates like an arrest warrant b ...

, the first death warrant he had signed since taking office in January 2019. Long's subsequent appeals were denied and he was executed by lethal injection on May 23, 2019, more than 30 years after his conviction. He ate his final meal at 9:30a.m. local time; he requested roast beef, bacon, french fries and soda. He was pronounced dead at 7:00p.m. and had made no last statement.

Some documentaries relating to Long's crimes

* ''

The FBI Files ''The FBI Files'' is an American television docudrama series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006 on the Discovery Channel and produced by New Dominion Pictures. The show was cancelled in 2006. However, Court TV Mystery, Discovery, and its sist ...

'', Season 1, episode 7: "Killing Spree" * ''

Forensic Files ''Forensic Files'', originally known as ''Medical Detectives'', is an American documentary television program that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness. The show was orig ...

'', Season 2, episode 1: "The Common Thread" * '' I Survived...'', Season 2, episode 7 * ''I Escaped My Killer'', Season 1, episode 1 (

Crime & Investigation Network Crime & Investigation (stylized as Crime + Investigation) is an American pay television channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between the Hearst Communications and the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company. The ...

) * ''Killer Doctors on Death Row'' (

CBS Reality CBS Reality is a European television channel broadcast in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. History CBS Reality was launched as Reality TV on 1 December 1999 as a joint-venture between UPCtv and Zone Vision. In 2005, Liberty Global, owner of U ...

) * ''

Evil Lives Here ''Evil Lives Here'' is an American documentary television series on Investigation Discovery that debuted on January 17, 2016. This 60-minute true crime show spends each episode interviewing a family member of the highlighted murderer. On August ...

'', Season 3, episode 2: "The Monster I Married" (

Investigation Discovery Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...

) * ''World's Most Evil Killers'', "The Classified Ad Rapist: Bobby Joe Long" (Reelz) * ''

On the Case with Paula Zahn ''On the Case with Paula Zahn'' is an American documentary and news program broadcast on Investigation Discovery since October 18, 2009. The program explores in-depth stories of crime mysteries and interviews with involved individuals, closest to ...

'', Season 6, episode 5: “Hanging By A Thread” (

) * ''

Monster in My Family ''Monster in My Family'' is a TV series produced by the Lifetime Movie Network that focuses on relatives of serial killers A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place ov ...

'', Season 1, episode 5: "Classified Ad Rapist: Bobby Joe Long" * '' Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey'' (2018) * '' Mark of a Killer'', Season 2, episode 7: “Collar and Leash” (

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements ...

)

TV movies

* Bobby Joe Long's story has been depicted in the Lifetime TV movie '' Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey'' which aired in 2018.Lloyd Sowers
"'Believe Me': Hillsborough deputy's survival story now a Lifetime movie"
.

WTVT WTVT (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Tampa, Florida, United States, broadcasting the Fox network to the Tampa Bay area. Owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division, WTVT maintains studios on Kenne ...

, September 27, 2018. The film stars Katie Douglas as Lisa McVey,

Rossif Sutherland Rossif Sutherland (born September 25, 1978) is a Canadian actor. He, along with his brothers Angus and Roeg and half-brother Kiefer, are the sons of Donald Sutherland. Early life and education Sutherland was born in Vancouver, but lived in P ...

as Bobby Joe Long, and David James Elliott as Larry Pinkerton.

References

External links

Appeal in and for Hillsborough County, State of Florida
*

*

, Season 1 – Ep 7: *

, Season 2 – Ep 1: {{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Bobby Joe 1953 births 1984 murders in the United States 2019 deaths 20th-century American criminals 21st-century executions by Florida 21st-century executions of American people American kidnappers American male criminals American people convicted of assault American people convicted of burglary American people convicted of murder American prisoners sentenced to death American rapists American robbers Broward College alumni Crime in Florida Crimes against sex workers in the United States Executed American serial killers Executed people from West Virginia History of Tampa, Florida Intersex men Male serial killers People convicted of murder by Florida People from Kenova, West Virginia People executed by Florida by lethal injection People executed for murder Prisoners sentenced to death by Florida Violence against women in the United States