Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant this week for one of the state's most prominent serial killers, who terrorized the Tampa Bay area during the mid-80s.
Bobby Joe Long, 65, has been on death row for nearly 34 years. He was sentenced to death after being convicted in the May 1984 death of 22-year-old former beauty contestant Michelle Denise Simms.
The FBI has linked Bobby Joe Long to the homicides of 10 women over a period of roughly eight months. The victims ranged in age from 18 to 28 years old. Most were strangled or asphyxiated, while one was shot and another had her throat slashed.
The FBI lists his victims as Lana Long, Michelle Simms, Elizabeth Loudenback, Chanel Williams, Karen Dinsfriend, Kimberly Hopps, Virginia Johnson, Kim Swann, Vicky Elliot and Artis Wick.
Detectives' hunt for the killer ended when Long abducted 17-year-old Lisa McVey in November 1984. McVey said she convinced Long to let her go and provided information to investigators that culminated in Long's arrest. McVey's experience led her to become a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy.
Investigators say Long claimed to have raped 40 women in three states.
This is the first death sentence DeSantis has authorized since taking office. Long's execution is set for May 23.
Chanel Williams was one of the victims. She was just 18, Her mother, Lula, said she and her youngest daughter, Algalana Douglas, plan to be at the execution.
“I'm just waiting for that time. And I want to see the look on his face. I want to see the pain on his face, what he inflicted to my daughter and those other women. He didn't have any right to do that,” said Williams.
As for forgiveness for the killer, Williams and Douglas said they are not quite there yet.
"People may think I'm horrible for saying this but I just, I hope it's painful and I hope he (burns) in hell,” Douglas said.
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