Bobby Joe Long: Florida executes murderer and rapist



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"I wanted to look him in the eyes," said Lisa McVey Noland, who was 17 when Long kidnapped her at the beginning of November 3, 1984, while she was cycling home. She long raped and held her hostage for more than 26 hours before letting her go, she said.

"I wanted to be the first person he saw," Noland said. "Unfortunately, he did not open his eyes."

Long, 65, was executed at 18:55. without incident, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Corrections told reporters. According to CNN affiliate WFLA, he was found guilty of murdering eight women who terrorized the Tampa Bay area in 1984 and was sentenced to death for the murder of Michelle Simms.

"Now, after 35 years, we can say we are reassured, knowing that justice has been done," said Lula Williams, whose daughter, Chanel, was one of Long's victims.

After the execution, the families of the victims and survivors spoke in front of the media outside the Florida State Prison in Raiford, thanking Governor Ron DeSantis as well as officials of law enforcement and prosecutors, who would have ensured that justice be done.

The other survivor, Linda Nuttall, said that there was "no description of the feeling of this moment".

She and her husband posted an advertisement in a newspaper in 1984 to sell furniture. Long answered, and when he came to their house, he raped Nuttall while her two young children were at home, she said.

"It's just surreal," Nuttall said. "But that closes another door for me."

Linda Nuttall, another survivor, calls Long's execution

"He got what he deserved," said Nuttall's husband, Kevin. "Today is only another chapter."

Noland, now a member of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, read the victim's statement and asked everyone to remember those who had died at Long's hands. But Noland said that she had "no ill will" towards Long and that she had forgiven him.

"God has shown that the only way to be truly free when someone gives you an injustice is a complete forgiveness," she said. "My life has changed forever and for the better.I have chosen not to remain a victim, I have chosen to live."

Jamiel Lynch from CNN contributed to this report.

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