"I Will Be There": Lisa McVey Noland on Witnessing Bobby Joe Long's Execution, FOX 13, 2019

Name: "I Will Be There": Lisa McVey Noland on Witnessing Bobby Joe Long's Execution, FOX 13, 2019
Uploaded: 2019-05-01T00:00:00Z
Duration: 2 min 47 s
Description: In her first interview after Bobby Joe Long's death warrant was signed, Lisa McVey Noland, abducted by him at 17 and by then a sheriff's deputy, told FOX 13 she would witness his execution.

In her first interview after Bobby Joe Long's death warrant was signed, Lisa McVey Noland, abducted by him at 17 and by then a sheriff's deputy, told FOX 13 she would witness his execution.

Subject: Bobbie Joe Long
Recorded: about April 23, 2019
Runtime: 2:47

Content warning: Concerns the abduction of a 17-year-old girl by Bobby Joe Long in 1984 and the murders of at least eight women; mentions abuse in the survivor's childhood. No graphic detail.

The Interview

This is a 2-minute-47-second FOX 13 (WTVT, Tampa) news report from about May 1, 2019, posted by the station on its own channel. Reporter Lloyd Sowers interviews Lisa McVey Noland, who was abducted by Bobby Joe Long in November 1984, when she was 17, and who by 2019 was a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy. FOX 13 presented it as her first interview since Long's death warrant was signed. The report includes a few seconds of an interview she gave Channel 13 in 1984. Long himself is not heard; the speakers are Noland, the reporter and the station's anchor.

Historical Context

During 1984 Bobby Joe Long killed at least ten women in the Tampa Bay area. In the early hours of November 3, 1984, he abducted 17-year-old Lisa McVey as she rode her bicycle home from work, and released her about 26 hours later. Her information helped investigators identify him, and he was arrested on November 16, 1984. In 1985 he pleaded guilty to eight murders and to her abduction and rape; he was sentenced to death for the murder of Michelle Denise Simms. On April 23, 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant, setting the execution for May 23.

Circumstances

The report aired about a week after the warrant was signed; according to the narration, Noland was among the first to be notified. By then she had served for many years with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and her story had been dramatized in the 2018 TV film "Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey".

What the Interview Covers

In the 1984 clip, the 17-year-old says her abductor "knew what he was doing" and that she could have been dead, "lying down in some ditch or somewhere." In 2019 she calls Long "a monster" who will remain one "until the day he takes his last breath," and confirms that she will witness the execution on May 23 at 6 p.m.: "It's something I need to do for myself." She says she cried when she heard the warrant had been signed, and she contrasts the appeals and rights Long had with the murdered women's lives: "Where were those rights when he took the lives of those women?" Sowers notes that many of the victims' parents had died, and that Noland says she is still fighting for them.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report records the survivor whose observations led to Long's capture, three weeks before the execution, stating that she would be there to see it, and sets her words beside a brief clip of her at 17.

Archival Importance

It is one of several FOX 13 reports from the last weeks of the Long case and follows the station's 2015 report on her escape. FOX 13 reported afterward that she did witness the execution on May 23, 2019.

Important Caveats

Long is not heard in this video. The events are presented as Noland's account and the station's narration. The narration's "at least eight women" refers to the murders to which he pleaded guilty; at least ten are generally attributed to him. The report mentions abuse in her childhood; the page should not expand on it. The short line "This is my calling" also closes the 2015 report and may be reused footage.

Anchor: [unclear: "Bobby Joe Long's arrest" / "Bobby Joe Long surest"] more than 30 years ago came with the help of a young girl, a teenager, who he kidnapped. Now, she got away, and then she helped lead detectives to the serial killer. Now she is speaking out for the first time since Long's death warrant was signed, and FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers joins us with this exclusive interview. Lloyd?

Lloyd Sowers: It's an amazing story, Kelly. That young kidnapping victim went on to [unclear: "be a" / "a"] career protecting others [unclear: "and" / "in"] law enforcement, and she's never lost sight of how she believes this story should end.

Lloyd Sowers: Bobby Joe Long was convicted of murdering at least eight women. But how many more would he have killed had it not been for the one victim who escaped him back in 1984, 17-year-old Lisa McVey?

Lisa McVey: This guy, he knew what he was doing. He had me. I could have been dead. I could have been lying down in some ditch or somewhere.

Lloyd Sowers: Bobby Joe Long ended up on death row, where he's been for decades.

Lisa McVey Noland: This is my calling.

Lloyd Sowers: Lisa McVey ended up a deputy sheriff. This is her first interview since Long's execution date was set.

Lisa McVey Noland: He was a monster. He's still a monster until the day he takes his last breath.

Lloyd Sowers: You've said in the past that you'd like to witness his execution. Do you still want to do that?

Lisa McVey Noland: I will be there on May 23rd at 6 p.m. I will be witnessing his execution. It's something I need to do for myself.

Lloyd Sowers: Her kidnapping by Bobby Joe Long was turned into a movie, showing how Lisa was able to use her history of being abused at home to deal with Long and eventually escape him. When the governor signed Long's death warrant last week, Lisa was among the first notified.

Lloyd Sowers: Take me back, and what did you feel when you heard that?

Lisa McVey Noland: I had to be honest. I cried at first, thinking, "Wow, we're here. Justice."

Lloyd Sowers: A long time coming since Lisa was 17 and the one that got away. But she thinks of the women who didn't escape the serial killer.

Lisa McVey Noland: [inaudible, probably "He"] has had all of these appeals, all these rights. Where were those rights when he took the lives of those women? What he did was horrendous. How he did it. These girls, these victims didn't deserve to be killed.

Lloyd Sowers: Those murder victims were killed so long ago, back in 1984, that family members aren't around. Many of their moms and dads passed away a long time ago. But Lisa McVey Noland says she is still fighting for them, and she says she'll be there to see the execution. Kelly?

Anchor: All right. So interesting, and we're all thinking about what she's going to go through and how hard that will be. Important. Lloyd Sowers, thank you. [02:46: clip ends.] ---