In this updated photo made available by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows Bobby Joe Long in custody. Long, is scheduled to be executed Thursday, May 23, 2019, for killing 10 women during eight months in 1984 that terrorized the Tampa Bay area. He was sentenced to 401 years in prison, 28 life sentences and one death sentence. His execution is for the murder of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement via AP)
STARKE, Fla. (AP) – A serial killer who terrorized Florida with a 1984 spree that claimed the lives of 10 women was put to death Thursday, his execution witnessed by the woman who survived one of his attacks and aided in his capture.
Inmate Bobby Joe Long was pronounced dead at 6:55 Thursday after a lethal injection at Florida State Prison, authorities said. Long had no last words, simply closing his eyes as the procedure began, witnesses said.
The killer terrified the Tampa Bay area for eight months in 1984 as women began showing up dead, their bodies often left in gruesome poses. Most of the victims were strangled. Some had their throats slit. Others were bludgeoned.
Law enforcement had few clues until the case of Lisa Noland, who survived one of Long’s attacks. She witnessed Thursday’s execution from the front row and appeared teary-eyed as she left the death chamber.
Only 17 years old in 1984, Noland was abducted by Long outside a church that year. He raped her but ultimately let her go free. She left evidence of his crimes on the scene and gave police details that lead to his capture.