Atlanta spa shooter appears in Fulton County courtroom
Convicted spa shooter back in court in Atlanta
Robert Long, the man accused of killing eight people in March 2021, is back in court. This time, Long is facing charges in Atlanta.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Robert Aaron Long, the man convicted of killing four people at a Cherokee County spa, appeared in court on Monday in connection to his charges in Fulton County.
Long is facing a death penalty trial for his 2021 shooting spree that ended in Atlanta.
Atlanta spa shootings
The backstory:
On March 16, 2021, Long shot and killed four people, three of them women and two of Asian descent, at Youngs Asian Massage in Cherokee County. A fifth person was wounded.
Long then drove to Atlanta, where he shot and killed three women at Gold Spa before crossing the street to Aromatherapy Spa and killing another woman, police said. All the Atlanta victims were of Asian descent.
Investigators believe that the man intended to carry out similar crimes in Florida, but his parents called authorities after recognizing their son in images from security video that authorities posted online. His parents were already tracking his movements through an application on his phone so they would know if he had visited massage businesses, prosecutors said, which enabled officers to find him.
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It's been three years since a shooting rampage at spas across Atlanta left eight people dead, including six Asian women.
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In July 2021, Long pleaded guilty to all of his charges in Cherokee County, including malice murder, felony murder, attempt to commit murder and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 35 years.
He entered a not-guilty plea to the charges of murder, aggravated assault, and domestic terrorism in Fulton County. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she intends to seek the death penalty in the case.
Convicted spa shooter back in court
Prosecutors argued for Long's statements made during his plea to be included in the Fulton County trial. The defense says it's not admissible in it's entirety.
"The defendant's own testimony interconnects and interlocks the various incidents in this case and that includes his background of his purported sexual addictions and his efforts for it and how that drove according to the defendant, and compelled the murders in this case," Prosecutor Michael Carlson said.
"I don't disagree that on balance, if the court made that analysis, that you would find that those are a part of proving of the case in Fulton County. Exactly what your honor was saying is our point here is that there are aspects to this that we do not believe would be admissible," Defense Attorney Jerilyn Bell explained.
"And I think that you're gonna need to identify those," Chief Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville said in response.
Attorneys also discussed whether council should have been present during the initial statements Long made after his arrest. The defense claims Long's court-appointed attorney did not know when he was being questioned.
"Misrepresenting that he's being questioned now when he's not, that is active interference," Bell said.
"This is not somebody who asked for appointed council. This is not somebody who applied for appointed council. This is not somebody who had been shown to be indigent in qualifying for appointed council," Prosecutor Kevin Armstrong explained.
Motive behind the shootings
Dig deeper:
Six of the eight victims in the case were of Asian descent, leading many to believe that the shootings were racially motivated.
Long, who is a self-confessed sex addict, told investigators that he was drunk and planned to visit a massage parlor because of his addiction before shooting himself.
After he was caught in South Georgia, Long told detectives he struggled with pornography and sex. He believed he was an addict and felt tremendous guilt when he viewed porn or engaged in sexual acts at massage businesses, Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said.
Atlanta Spa Shooting suspect serving life without parole
Two years after shootings at three spas in Cherokee County and Atlanta that killed eight people, including six Asian Americans, the man who claims responsibility for at least one of the shootings remains behind bars.
Long blamed the victims for his inability to control his impulses, she said.
The Cherokee County District Attorney stated that they did not find evidence of racism behind the shootings in their jurisdiction. Two of the victims in Cherokee County were white, and one was Hispanic.
Attendees hold up signs during "The Asian Justice Rally – Break the Silence" event at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot on March 16, 2022, in Atlanta. A coalition of Asian American non-profit organizations held the event to honor the eight lives los
However, Fulton County prosecutors maintain that race and gender played a role in the deadly shootings in Atlanta, which is why they are pursuing the death penalty as well as seeking a hate crime sentencing enhancement. Three women were killed at the Gold Spa in Atlanta, and another woman was killed across the street at Aromatherapy Spa.
What's next:
Judge Glanville said the defense can file additional motions. No trial date has been set.
Previous hearings for Long's case have seen delays that have stretched to more than a year.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Fulton County Courthouse, previous FOX 5 stories, and the Associated Press.