{{Short description|American serial killer (1953–2019)}} {{Unreliable sources|date=July 2023}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox serial killer | name = Bobby Joe Long | image = Bobby Joe Long.jpg | caption = Long's mugshot in 1984 | birth_name = Bobby Joe Long<ref name="TBT1">{{cite news |last1=Sullivan |first1=Dan |title=Florida wants to execute Robert Joseph Long. His real name is Bobby Joe Long. Does it matter? |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/florida-wants-to-execute-robert-joseph-long-his-real-name-is-bobby-joe-long-does-it-matter-20190430/?bcmt=1 |access-date=20 October 2024 |work=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |date=May 1, 2019}}</ref> | other_names = The Classified Ad Rapist<br>The Adman Rapist | birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|10|14}} | death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|5|23|1953|10|14}} | birth_place = [[Kenova, West Virginia]], U.S. | death_place = [[Florida State Prison]], Florida, U.S. | criminal_status = [[Execution by lethal injection|Executed by lethal injection]] | children = 2 | spouse = {{marriage|Cynthia Barlett|January 1974|1980|end=divorced}} | victims = 10 | country = [[United States]] | states = [[Florida]] | beginyear = March 27 | endyear = November 12, 1984 | apprehended = November 16, 1984 | conviction = *[[Murder in Florida law|First degree murder]] (8 counts) *[[Burglary|Armed burglary]] *[[Aggravation (law)|Aggravated]] assault *[[Kidnapping]] (11 counts) *[[Robbery]] (2 counts) *[[Rape laws in the United States|Sexual battery]] (10 counts) | imprisoned = [[Florida State Prison]] | sentence = [[Capital punishment in Florida|Death]] (July 25, 1986) }}
'''Bobby Joe Long'''{{efn|name=fn1|The [[Florida Department of Corrections]] inmate database recorded Long's name as "Robert J. Long,"<ref>{{cite web |title=Inmate Release Information Detail |url=https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=494041&TypeSearch=IR |website=Florida Department of Corrections |access-date=20 October 2024}}</ref> but Long's birth certificate from [[West Virginia]] recorded his name at birth as '''Bobby Joe Long.'''<ref name="TBT1"></ref>}} (October 14, 1953 – May 23, 2019) was an American [[serial killer]] and [[rapist]]. During an eight-month period in 1984, Long abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered at least ten women in the [[Tampa Bay area]] in Florida. At trial, Long was sentenced to death for one of the murders and life for seven others. He was sentenced to death in 1986 by the state of [[Florida]] for the murder of Michelle Denise Simms. He was executed by [[lethal injection]] on May 23, 2019.
==Early life== Bobby Joe Long was born on October 14, 1953, in [[Kenova, West Virginia]], to Joe and Louetta Long.<ref name="maamodt.edu">{{cite web |title=Bobby Joe Long – The Classified Ad Rapist |url=http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Long,%20Bobby%20Joe.htm |access-date=August 12, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821131048/http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Long%2C%20Bobby%20Joe.htm |archive-date=August 21, 2008 |publisher=Department of Psychology, [[Radford University]] }}</ref> Long was born with an extra [[X chromosome]], also known as [[47,XXY]], a specific variant of [[Klinefelter syndrome]]. This condition results in excessive [[estrogen]] production, resulting in development of female traits such as [[breast development|breasts]]. Long was teased as a child for his large breasts and underwent [[breast reduction surgery]] in adolescence.<ref name="Psychology Today">{{cite web|last1=Ramsland|first1=Katherine|title=Shame and the Serial Killer: Humiliation's influence on criminal behavior needs more attention|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/201909/shame-and-the-serial-killer|access-date=September 13, 2020|publisher=Psychology Today|language=en|archive-date=January 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127100820/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/201909/shame-and-the-serial-killer|url-status=live}}</ref> He sustained multiple [[head trauma|head injuries]] in various childhood accidents.<ref>{{cite book|last=Giannangelo|first=Stephen J.|title=The Psychopathology of Serial Murder: A Theory of Violence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPLpWHyrM-MC&pg=PA22|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-95434-5|page=22|access-date=November 2, 2016|archive-date=January 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127100825/https://books.google.com/books?id=rPLpWHyrM-MC&pg=PA22|url-status=live}}</ref>
Long had a [[dysfunctional family|dysfunctional]] relationship with his mother, sleeping in her bed until he was a teenager, and reportedly resented the multiple short-term boyfriends she brought with her when returning home late at night from her job.<ref name="maamodt.edu" /> Long married his [[high school sweetheart |high-school girlfriend]] in 1974, with whom he had two children before she filed for [[divorce]] in 1980, citing domestic and sexual abuse.<ref name="Crime Watch Daily">{{cite web |last1=Moore |first1=Melissa |title=Married to a Monster: Ex-wife discusses serial killer who raped, killed 10 women |url=https://crimewatchdaily.com/2016/02/22/ex-wife-offers-look-inside-the-mind-of-notorious-serial-killer/ |website=crimewatch |publisher=Telepictures Productions Inc. |access-date=July 8, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=July 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708162614/https://crimewatchdaily.com/2016/02/22/ex-wife-offers-look-inside-the-mind-of-notorious-serial-killer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Crimes== Long moved to the Tampa Bay area in 1983. In 1984, while on [[probation]] for [[assault]], Long raped and strangled 20-year-old Artiss "Ann" Wick in March;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2019/05/24/serial-killer-who-took-10/5076229007/|title=Serial killer who took 10 women's lives executed in Florida|work=Associated Press|agency=The Florida Times Union|date=May 23, 2019|accessdate=January 3, 2025}}</ref> her body was discovered in a rural area on November 22, 1984. She had reportedly hitch-hiked from [[Gas City, Indiana]], to Tampa, and was engaged to be married.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} Long also attacked 33-year-old Linda Nuttall in her home.<ref name="fox13">{{Cite news|date=2019-05-24|title="Long overdue:" Florida serial killer executed after 34 years|work=[[WTVT]]|location=Raiford|url=https://www.fox13news.com/news/long-overdue-florida-serial-killer-executed-after-34-years|access-date=2021-06-05}}</ref>
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, as well as a barrette, 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Case of Bobby Joe Long: Notorious Tampa Bay serial killer executed |url=https://www.wfla.com/news/crime/the-case-of-bobby-joe-long/2019620672 |date=16 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616010544/https://www.wfla.com/news/crime/the-case-of-bobby-joe-long/2019620672 |archive-date=June 16, 2019 }}</ref>
==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]], including clothing, carpet fibers, [[semen]], [[ligature strangulation|ligature]] marks, and rope knots.<ref name="hickey">{{cite book | first=Eric W. | last=Hickey | year= 1991 | title= Serial Murderers and Their Victims | publisher=Brooks/Cole | location=Pacific Grove, CA | pages= 135–136 | isbn=0-534-15414-X }}</ref>
Long was arrested outside a movie theater on November 16, 1984, and charged with the [[sexual battery]] and kidnapping of Lisa McVey. Long signed a formal ''[[Miranda warning|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."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Long v. State |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/1988/69259-0.html |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}</ref>
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 [sic] changed since you came back into the room. I think I need an attorney." No attorney was provided, and Long eventually confessed to eight murders in [[Hillsborough County, Florida|Hillsborough County]], and one murder in [[Pasco County, Florida|Pasco County]].
Fiber evidence analysis by the FBI linked Long's vehicle to most of his victims.<ref name="hickey"/>
==Trial== The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office and the Public Defender's Office of Hillsborough County reached a [[plea bargain]] deal. Long pleaded guilty on September 24, 1985,<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Brien |first=Brendan |date=May 23, 2019 |title=Florida to execute man convicted of abducting, killing eight women in 1984 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/florida-to-execute-man-convicted-of-abducting-killing-eight-women-in-1984-idUSKCN1ST18J/ |work=Reuters.}}</ref> to eight homicides and the abduction and rape of Lisa McVey, receiving 26 [[life sentence]]s without the possibility of [[parole]] (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]] for the murder of Michelle Simms. In July 1986, Long was found guilty and was sentenced to die in Florida by [[lethal injection]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andone |first=Dakin |date=2019-05-24 |title=Florida executes convicted serial killer and rapist Bobby Joe Long |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/24/us/bobby-joe-long-execution-florida/index.html |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>
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]]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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Long v. State |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/supreme-court/1997/83593-0.html |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}</ref>
On appeal, Long's death sentence was vacated, his conviction reversed, and his case [[remand (court procedure)|remand]]ed back to the trial court with directions to enter an order of [[acquittal]] for the murder of Virginia Johnson.<ref name=":0" />
==Victims== Long was linked to the murders of ten women, who were killed from March to November 1984. The victims were: * Artiss "Ann" Wick, 20 – killed on March 27, 1984 * Ngeun Thi "Lana" Long, 19 – killed on May 13, 1984 * Michelle Denise Simms, 22 – killed on May 27, 1984 * Elizabeth Loudenback, 22 – killed on June 8, 1984 * Victoria Marie "Vicky" Elliott, 21 – killed on September 7, 1984 * Kimberly Kyle Hopps, 22 – killed on October 1, 1984 * Chanel Devoun Williams, 18 – killed on October 7, 1984 * Karen Beth Dinsfriend, 28 – killed on October 14, 1984 * Virginia Lee Johnson, 18 – killed on November 6, 1984 * Kimberly Marie Swann, 21 – killed on November 12, 1984 {{efn|some reports say Wick was 18}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/serial-killer-who-once-terrorized-florida-set-for-execution|title=Serial killer who once terrorized Florida is executed|last1=Farrington|first1=Brendan|last2=Paluska|first2=Michael|work=Associated Press|agency=WFTS-TV|date=May 23, 2019|accessdate=January 3, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/11/18/Serial-murder-arrest-relieves-nightclub-community/1162469602000/|title=Serial murder arrest relieves nightclub community|work=UPI|date=November 18, 1984|accessdate=January 3, 2025}}</ref> He was convicted of killing all of them with the exception of Wick, and his conviction for Johnson's murder was overturned.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fox13news.com/news/attorney-long-should-not-be-executed-via-lethal-injection-due-to-adverse-reaction-to-anesthesia|title=Attorney: Long should not be executed via lethal injection due to adverse reaction to anesthesia|work=WTNV|date=April 30, 2019|accessdate=January 3, 2025}}</ref>
==Execution== On April 23, 2019, [[List of Governors of Florida|Florida Governor]] [[Ron DeSantis]] signed Long's [[Execution warrant|death warrant]], the first death warrant he had signed since taking office in January 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/content/download/523876/5819983/04-23-2019-Robert-Joseph-Long-Death-Warrant.pdf|title=Robert Joseph Long – Death Warrant – May 2019|date=April 23, 2019|website=Florida Supreme Court|access-date=April 24, 2019|archive-date=April 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424090036/https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/content/download/523876/5819983/04-23-2019-Robert-Joseph-Long-Death-Warrant.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/upcoming-executions|title=Upcoming Executions {{!}} Death Penalty Information Center|website=deathpenaltyinfo.org|access-date=April 24, 2019|archive-date=April 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422012659/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/upcoming-executions|url-status=live}}</ref> His subsequent appeals denied, he was executed by [[lethal injection]] on [[List of people executed in the United States in 2019|May 23, 2019]], more than thirty years after his conviction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/05/23/bobby-joe-long--convicted-killer-who-terrorized-tampa-bay-in-mid-80s--to-be-executed|title=Convicted Killer Who Terrorized Tampa Bay in Mid 80s Executed|website=[[Bay News 9]]|access-date=May 23, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523231139/https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/05/23/bobby-joe-long--convicted-killer-who-terrorized-tampa-bay-in-mid-80s--to-be-executed|url-status=live}}</ref> He ate his [[final meal]] at 9:30{{nbsp}}a.m. local time; he requested [[roast beef]], bacon, French fries, and soda.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/serial-killer-bobby-joe-long-16192224|title=Serial killer Bobby Joe Long requests special final meal ahead of execution|first=Tom|last=Davidson|date=May 23, 2019|website=mirror|access-date=May 26, 2019|archive-date=May 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526060417/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/serial-killer-bobby-joe-long-16192224|url-status=live}}</ref> He was pronounced dead at 7:00{{nbsp}}p.m., having made no [[last statement]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://time.com/5595252/serial-killer-florida-executed/|title=Serial Killer Who Took 10 Women's Lives Executed in Florida|magazine=Time|access-date=May 26, 2019|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524064415/http://time.com/5595252/serial-killer-florida-executed/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== TV movies == * Bobby Joe Long's story has been depicted in the TV movie ''[[Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey]]'' which aired in 2018.<ref>Lloyd Sowers, [https://www.fox13news.com/news/believe-me-hillsborough-deputys-survival-story-now-a-lifetime-movie "'Believe Me': Hillsborough deputy's survival story now a Lifetime movie"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227154100/https://www.fox13news.com/news/believe-me-hillsborough-deputys-survival-story-now-a-lifetime-movie |date=February 27, 2020 }}. [[WTVT]], September 27, 2018.</ref> The film was directed by Jim Donovan, and stars [[Katie Douglas (actress)|Katie Douglas]] as Lisa McVey, [[Rossif Sutherland]] as Bobby Joe Long, and [[David James Elliott]] as Larry Pinkerton.
==See also== * [[List of people executed in Florida]] * [[List of people executed in the United States in 2019]] * [[List of serial killers by number of victims]] * [[List of serial killers in the United States]] * [[Lonely hearts killer]]
==Notes== {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060909234432/http://www.law.fsu.edu/library/flsupct/69259/69259brief2.pdf Appeal in and for Hillsborough County, State of Florida] * [http://serialkillercalendar.com/bobbyjoelong.html Bobby Joe Long – Bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102200425/https://serialkillercalendar.com/bobbyjoelong.html |date=November 2, 2020 }}
{{s-start}} ! colspan="3" | [[Capital punishment in Florida|Executions carried out in Florida]] {{s-bef|before=Jose Antonio Jimenez|before2=<div style="font-weight: normal">December 13, 2018</div>}} {{s-ttl|title=Bobby Joe Long|years=May 23, 2019}} {{s-aft|after=[[Gary Ray Bowles]]|after2=<div style="font-weight: normal">August 22, 2019</div>}} |- ! colspan="3" | [[Capital punishment in the United States|Executions carried out in the United States]] {{s-bef|before=Donnie Edward Johnson – [[Capital punishment in Tennessee|Tennessee]]|before2=<div style="font-weight: normal">May 16, 2019</div>}} {{s-ttl|title=Bobby Joe Long – [[Capital punishment in Florida|Florida]]|years=May 23, 2019}} {{s-aft|after=Christopher Lee Price – [[Capital punishment in Alabama|Alabama]]|after2=<div style="font-weight: normal">May 30, 2019</div>}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Bobby Joe}} [[Category:1953 births]] [[Category:1984 murders in the United States]] [[Category:2019 deaths]] [[Category:21st-century executions by Florida]] [[Category:21st-century executions of American people]] [[Category:20th-century people from West Virginia]] [[Category:21st-century people from West Virginia]] [[Category:American kidnappers]] [[Category:American male criminals]] [[Category:American people convicted of kidnapping]] [[Category:American people convicted of assault]] [[Category:American people convicted of burglary]] [[Category:American people convicted of rape]] [[Category:American people convicted of robbery]] [[Category:Broward College alumni]] [[Category:Crime in Florida]] [[Category:Crimes against sex workers in the United States]] [[Category:Executed American serial killers]] [[Category:Executed people from West Virginia]] [[Category:History of Tampa, Florida]] [[Category:American intersex men]] [[Category:American intersex people]] [[Category:People convicted of murder by Florida]] [[Category:People from Kenova, West Virginia]] [[Category:People executed by Florida by lethal injection]] [[Category:Serial killers from Florida]] [[Category:Violence against women in Florida]] [[Category:20th-century American murderers]]