The suspect in the shooting murders of several residents in a Georgia spa could face the death penalty as prosecutors confirmed their intentions to seek the legal charges in Atlanta's Fulton County, arguing the gunman's acts were hate crimes.
Authorities arraigned the suspect, Robert Aaron Long, on Monday on the four Fulton County murder counts and other charges. The 22-year-old is believed to have shot a total of eight people, the majority of them having Asian descent.
Georgia Spa Shooter Could Face Death Penalty
The series of attacks were conducted at three separate spas in or near Atlanta a single day earlier this March. Long has previously pleaded guilty to the murder shootings in Cherokee County, which is located north of Atlanta. He was sentenced to life in prison for the crimes.
On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville in Atlanta preceded a hearing where prosecutors affirmed that District Attorney Fani Willis had filed to seek the death penalty against Long. The papers seeking the charge argued that the suspect committed hate crimes based on race or gender, Reuters reported.
For the majority of the hearing, Long sat in silence, quietly responding with, "yes, sir" when asked if he understood the hearing. The suspect's attacks in March caused an awareness of the wave of anti-Asian bias and violence in the United States.
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Last month, Long was in another court hearing in Cherokee County where he could be seen showing little emotion as he detailed the events of the shootings. He said that he purchased a firearm and a bottle of bourbon and planned to kill himself, saying he was remorseful for being a self-proclaimed sex addict.
However, he later decided to shoot other people instead of himself. He drove about 50 km south to Atlanta and conducted shootings at two spas managed by residents of Asian descent. Prosecutors said he killed a total of eight people in two different counties, Yahoo News reported.
Victims of the Brutal Shootings
Authorities gave Long four life sentences last month without parole for the shootings of 33-year-old Delaina Ashley Yaun, 54-year-old Paul Andre Michels, 49-year-old Xiaojie Yan, and 44-year-old Daoyou Feng.
Long's attorneys revealed that they have reached out to Willis to enter a plea deal but she said she plans to continue to seek the death penalty. Conversely, Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace agreed to a plea deal last month in the interest of swift justice and avoiding lengthy appeals. The official said her decision was made after discussing with survivors and families of the victims.
Wallace argued that if Long's case went to trial, she was planning on seeking the death penalty as well. She would have argued that the suspect committed the crimes based on gender bias. However, she said that investigators found no evidence to support that Long's crimes were motivated by racial bias. While noting the diversity of the victims, Wallace said the suspect shot anyone and everyone he saw in the area.
"I am very comfortable in my decision to request sentencing enhancements based on the fact that race and gender played a role," Wallace said, ABC News reported.
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