Bobby Joe Long's First Court Appearance: WTVT "Pulse 13" Report, November 1984

Days after his arrest in November 1984, Bobby Joe Long, handcuffed and in leg irons, heard the charges against him at the Hillsborough County Jail courtroom. A WTVT "Pulse 13" report.

Subject

Bobbie Joe Long

Recorded

November 16, 1984

Runtime

1:15

Content warning: Concerns charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and the murders of women; no graphic detail.

The Report

This is a 75-second WTVT Channel 13 ("Pulse 13") news report, originally aired on November 18, 1984, and re-posted by FOX 13 Tampa Bay in 2019. It shows Robert Joseph "Bobby Joe" Long being brought into the Hillsborough County Jail courtroom, handcuffed and in leg irons, to hear the charges against him from County Judge Perry Little. Long is not heard. The report is narrated throughout by reporter Marianne Pasha, who reads the list of charges; the judge can be heard only faintly for a few seconds.

Historical Context

During 1984 a series of abductions, rapes and murders of women frightened the Tampa Bay area. Long was arrested on November 16, 1984, after a survivor's account led investigators to him. He later pleaded guilty to eight murders and to the abduction and rape of that survivor. He was sentenced to death for the murder of Michelle Denise Simms and was executed at Florida State Prison on May 23, 2019.

Circumstances of the Report

The appearance took place within two days of the arrest; the report aired on November 18, 1984, and does not give the exact date of the hearing. According to the report, the courtroom was cleared of the other overnight defendants before Long was brought in, and Judge Little recited two pages of charges.

What the Report Covers

The reporter lists the charges: one count of violation of parole; nine counts of kidnapping, with bond of $10,000 on each; eight counts of sexual assault; and eight counts of first-degree murder, with a ninth murder count pending in Pasco County. She reports that Long acknowledged the charges and the judge's instructions, that he would be assigned a public defender, and that the state intended to seek the death penalty and would present the capital charges to a grand jury on November 28. The report closes with deputies still posted at Long's Fowler Avenue apartment and Sheriff Walter Heinrich's word that more search warrants might be sought.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report is early footage of Long in custody, taken within days of the arrest that ended the 1984 killings, and it records the scale of the charges at the very start of the case.

Archival Importance

FOX 13 re-released the report in April 2019, the day after Florida's governor signed Long's death warrant and a month before his execution on May 23, 2019. The footage from the start of the case was seen again some 34 years later, as the case came to its end.

Important Caveats

Long is not heard in this video. The narration says he acknowledged the charges, but no reply from him is audible in the machine transcript. The only courtroom sound is a few seconds of the judge, too faint to transcribe reliably. The charge counts are as reported on the day; the final convictions differed.

Reporter: The Hillsborough County Jail courtroom was cleared of the other overnight defendants as Robert Long, handcuffed and in leg irons, was escorted in to hear the charges against him from County Judge Perry Little. [00:11 to 00:17: faint courtroom natural sound, probably the judge; not transcribed by Whisper small.en. The research memo's medium.en check read it as "All right, so we'll move Robert Delong and the proceeding for which you have..."; confirm by listening.]

Reporter: Judge Little recited two pages of charges. Violation of parole, one count, no bond. Nine charges, kidnapping, bond $10,000 each count. Eight counts, sexual assault, no bond. Eight counts, first-degree murder, no bond. There is a ninth count of first-degree murder in Pasco County. Long acknowledged the charges and Judge Little's instructions.

Reporter: Long will be assigned a public defender this week. The state has declared its intent to seek the death penalty, and therefore the capital murder charges will be formally presented to the grand jury November 28th. Meanwhile, Long will remain in his one-man cell at the Hillsborough County Jail. Jail officials say Long's activities are being closely monitored. Sheriff's deputies are still stationed at Long's Fowler Avenue apartment in Tampa. Sheriff Walter Heinrich told Pulse 13 additional search warrants may be sought as the collection of evidence in connection with the murders of nine women continues. Marianne Pasha, Pulse 13, Tampa. [01:14 to 01:15: no speech; clip ends.] ---