Attorneys for Robert Aaron Long, the man accused of killing eight people at Atlanta-area spas, filed a motion to remove the death penalty consideration for Long’s upcoming trial.
On March 16, 2021, Long allegedly killed eight people across three spas in Atlanta. Of the eight killed, six were Asian women.
Long was charged with four counts of murder for the shooting deaths of Paul Michels, Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, Daoyou Feng and Delaina Yaun at Young Asian Massage in Cherokee County. Long pleaded guilty in his Cherokee County to four counts of murder, and was sentenced to four life sentences for each murder, according to WSB-TV Atlanta.
Long did not face the death penalty as his case did not go to trial in Cherokee County. Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said that she would have sought death penalty charges had the case gone to trial, citing Long to be motivated by a gender bias. Investigators determined that racial bias was not a present motivation, according to NPR.
The 23-year-old could, however, face death penalty prosecution in Fulton county, where he has been charged with the murders of Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant and Yong Ae Yue. He is also charged with aggravated assault and domestic terrorism, according to WSB-TV Atlanta.
Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, plans to seek the death penalty and cites both race and gender as Long’s motivations, NPR reports. According to 11Alive, Long’s hearing is set to begin Oct. 17, with Long pleading not guilty.
Long’s defense team has filed several motions, including a motion to dismiss any potential death penalty prosecution.
Last month, Long’s attorneys issued a statement saying they were “committed to moving towards a resolution while meeting our ethical and legal obligations required by the Georgia Supreme Court and the United States Constitution when the State is seeking the death penalty,” 11Alive reports.
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