Sunday 8 December 2013

Bobby Joe Long - The Want Ad Rapist/Killer

In 1974, Bobby Joe Long was riding his motorcycle in Tampa, Florida, when a car materialized in front of him. Long slammed down on the brakes, but it was too little too late: he was thrown forwards into the car, hitting his head hard enough for his helmet to crack. He did survive, but not without incurring long-term brain damage.

Immediately following the accident, Bobby Joe Long claims that his sex drive started to increase dramatically. Beforehand, he had been a fairly regular guy: he thought about sex from time to time and would engage in intercourse with his wife about 2 or 3 times a week. But after the accident he thought about sex almost all the time. It became his obsession; it took over his life. He started demanding sex from his wife 2 or 3 times a day and would also masturbate a further 5 or 6 times daily.

But after a while even this wasn't enough. In 1980, Bobby Joe Long began to search for want ads in his local papers, looking for items that required him to go to a woman's home to collect. He would respond to the ad, and arrange to collect the item during the day, as he reasoned that this would make it less likely that a husband or boyfriend would be at home. Once he had made sure that there was nobody else in the house, Long would tie the woman up and rape her.

The media had a frenzy, referring to him as 'Want Ad Rapist'. FBI agents and local police forces combed all the evidence they could find in order to track him down. But he would succeed in evading capture for 3 years.

As time went on, Bobby Joe Long started to lose control more and more. He would get angry at the slightest provocation. On on occasion, he even grabbed his mother and spanked her like a child.

It is a well-known fact that some rapists will, sooner or later, escalate to murder. After a while, the rapes just don't seem to stimulate them the way they used to. They need to take it to the next level in order to feel the same amount of thrill and power.

In 1983, Bobby Joe Long killed  a Vietnamese woman. He lured her into his car, overpowered her, tied her up, raped her, and strangled her to death. Her body was unceremoniously dumped on the side of the road. A further 8 murders would follow.

Just before killing for the 9th time, Bobby Joe Long abducted  a 17-year-old girl, raped her, and let her go. He didn't seem to be able to bring himself to kill her, even though she had seen his face as well as the inside of his apartment.

Shortly after letting the 17-year-old go, Bobby Joe Long was arrested. He spoke of the growing sense of revulsion he felt at his acts. He tried to claim diminished responsibility on account of the brain damage he had incurred as a result of the motorcycle accident. However, his defense team were unable to prove a causal link between this and his later crimes. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1985. He remains on Florida's death row to this day.

You might also be interested in:
Gary Ridgway - The Green River Killer, Early Warning Signs of  a Future Serial Killer, Jeffrey Dahmer - The Milwaukee Cannibal

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