Associated Press: Man pleads guilty to 4 Asian spa killings, sentenced to life
Robert Aaron Long, 22, still faces the death penalty in the four other deaths, which are being prosecuted in a different county. His shooting spree at three different businesses in March ignited outrage and fueled fear among Asian Americans, who were already facing increased hostility at the time linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Many were particularly upset when authorities suggested that Long’s crimes were not racially motivated but were instead born of a “sex addiction,” which is not recognized as an official disorder.
Robert Aaron Long pleaded guilty to four murder counts on Tuesday. He’s accused of killing eight people at multiple Atlanta-area massage businesses.
The majority of the victims were Asian, but prosecutors claims the murders were not hate crimes. Instead, Cherokee County prosecutors said he was trying “to eliminate sources of temptation at businesses where he engaged in sex acts.”
According to the AP, “Long is scheduled to appear again next month in Fulton County, where District Attorney Fani Willis filed notice that she intends to seek what is called a hate crime sentence enhancement.”
