Above: Prosecutor on death penalty in spa shootingsATLANTA (AP) – A man accused of killing eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in shootings at three massage companies in the Atlanta area was judged by two different large juries on Tuesday charged with murder and a prosecutor announced that she would also be charged with hate crimes and the death penalty. A Fulton County grand jury sued Robert Aaron Long, 22, in the March 16 murders of Suncha Kim, 69. Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. A separate Cherokee County grand jury sued Long over a separate shootout in which Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49, was killed. Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Yaun, 33; and Paul Michels, 54. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also filed a notice that she intended to seek an improvement in the penalty for hate crimes and the death penalty for Long, who is white. The hate crime charge is based on the actual or perceived race, national origin, sex and gender of the four women killed, the statement said. The indictment and the decision to seek the death penalty and an amendment to the hate crime law “sends a message that everyone in this community is valued,” Willis said during a news conference Tuesday. “Today we took another step forward in justice for the victims of this crime and their families,” Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said in a press release. Wallace said she would make a decision on whether to seek the death penalty before Long’s indictment, which is not planned yet. Georgia’s new hate crime law does not provide for a standalone hate crime. After a person is convicted of an underlying crime, a jury must determine if it is bias motivated, which incurs an additional penalty. The 19 counts against Fulton County include charges of murder, criminal murder, aggravated assault and domestic terrorism. Domestic Terrorism According to the indictment, Long committed a number of illegal acts, “linked by differentiators, with the intent to cause serious bodily harm and kill individuals and groups of individuals, and with the intent to protect the civilian population of this state and its policies.” intimidating subdivisions. “Four grievous bodily harm related to the shooting of the four victims who died. For the fifth time, the indictment states that Long aimed a gun at another woman, leading to her “reasonable fear of immediate violent injury,” which four were killed and one person was wounded. Six other people were in the spa when the shooting occurred, Wallace said. Charges in Cherokee County include malicious murder, felony murder, attempted murder, and aggravated assault. Willis’ decision to seek the death penalty is a departure from her stance during her district attorney campaign last year. During a 2020 candidate forum, Willis replied yes when asked, “Will you pledge to oppose the death penalty?” “Last year I told Fulton County voters that I couldn’t think of any circumstance under which I would would seek (the death penalty), “Willis said during the press conference. “Unfortunately, a case has arisen … which I believe warrants the final sentence and we will seek it.” The murders are eligible for the death penalty, as everyone was committed while Long was in the process of committing another capital crime, namely killing the victims, Willis’ letter of intent reads. Each murder was also “outrageous or willfully mean, terrible or inhuman because it involved depravity of the mind” and was committed during an act of domestic terrorism, the statement said. Police said Long shot four people, three of them women and two of Asian descent, at Young’s Asian Massage near Woodstock just before 5 p.m. on March 16. He also shot and wounded a fifth person, investigators said. He then drove about 50 kilometers south to Atlanta, where he shot and killed three women at the Gold Spa before they crossed the street to the Aromatherapy Spa and fatally shot another woman, police said. All of the victims in Atlanta were women of Asian descent. After the shootings at the two Atlanta spas, Long got back in his car and drove south on the interstate, police said. Long’s parents called authorities to help after spotting their son in stills from security video the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office posted on social media. They provided cell phone information that enabled authorities to track their son to rural Crisp County, about 225 kilometers south of Atlanta. State soldiers and sheriff’s MPs spotted his SUV on Interstate 75, and one of them forced Long to stop by bumping into his vehicle. Long then surrendered to the authorities. In an initial interview with investigators, Long claimed to have a “sex addiction” and authorities said he appeared to have resisted companies he viewed as tempting. But these statements have sparked outrage and widespread skepticism about the races of the victims.
ATLANTA –
Above: Prosecutor about to apply for the death penalty in spa shootings
ATLANTA (AP) – A man accused of killing eight people, including six women of Asian origin, in shootings at three massage companies in the Atlanta area was charged with murder by two different large juries on Tuesday. I will also be charged with hate crimes and the death penalty.
A Fulton County grand jury sued 22-year-old Robert Aaron Long in the March 16 murders of Suncha Kim, 69. Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. A separate Cherokee County grand jury sued Long over a separate shootout in which Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49, was killed. Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Yaun, 33; and Paul Michels, 54.
Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis also filed a notice that she intended to seek an improvement in the penalty for hate crimes and the death penalty for Long, who is white. The hate crime charge is based on the actual or perceived race, national origin, sex and gender of the four women killed, the statement said.
The indictment and rulings seeking the death penalty and enhanced sentence under the Hate Crimes Act “send a message that everyone in this community is valued,” Willis said at a news conference Tuesday.
“Today we took another step forward to seek justice for the victims of this crime and their families,” Cherokee District Attorney Shannon Wallace said in a press release.
Wallace said she would make a decision on whether to seek the death penalty before Long’s indictment, which is not yet planned.
The new law on hate crimes in Georgia does not provide for a stand-alone hate crime. After a person is convicted of an underlying crime, a jury must determine if it is bias motivated, which incurs an additional penalty.
Fulton County’s 19 counts include charges of murder, criminal murder, aggravated assault and domestic terrorism.
The domestic terrorism charge states that Long committed a number of illegal acts, “linked by distinctive features, with the intent to cause serious bodily harm and to kill individuals and groups of individuals, and with the intent to do this to the civilian population.” Intimidate state and its political subdivisions. “
Four grievous bodily harm have to do with the shooting of the four victims who died. For the fifth time, the indictment states that Long pointed a gun at another woman, which led to her “reasonable fear of being immediately violently injured.”
The 23 counts in the Cherokee County’s indictment relate to the shooting at a spa near the suburb of Woodstock that killed four people and wounded one person. Six other people were in the spa when the shooting occurred, Wallace said. Charges in Cherokee County include malicious murder, felony murder, attempted murder, and aggravated assault.
Willis’ decision to seek the death penalty is a departure from her stance during her campaign as district attorney last year.
During a 2020 candidate forum, Willis replied yes when asked, “Are you going to commit to oppose the death penalty?”
“Last year I told Fulton County voters that I couldn’t think of any circumstance under which I would search (the death penalty),” Willis said during the press conference. “Unfortunately, a case has arisen … which I believe warrants the final sentence and we will look for it.”
The murders are eligible for the death penalty as everyone was committed while Long committed another capital crime, namely the killing of the victims, reads Willis’ letter of intent. Each murder was also “outrageous or willfully mean, terrible or inhuman in that it entailed depravity of the spirit” and was committed during an act of domestic terrorism, the statement said.
Police said Long shot four people, three of whom were women and two of Asian descent, to death just before 5 p.m. on March 16 at the Youngs Asian Massage near Woodstock. He also shot and wounded a fifth person, investigators said.
He then drove about 50 kilometers south to Atlanta, where he shot three women at the Gold Spa before crossing the street to the Aromatherapy Spa and fatally shooting another woman, police said. All of the victims in Atlanta were women of Asian descent.
After the shootings at the two Atlanta spas, Long got back in his car and drove south on the interstate, police said.
Long’s parents called authorities to help after they recognized their son in stills from security videos the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media. They provided cell phone information that authorities could use to track her son in rural Crisp County, about 225 kilometers south of Atlanta.
State troops and sheriff’s MPs spotted his SUV on Interstate 75, and one of them forced Long to come to a halt by bumping into his vehicle. Long then handed over to the authorities.
In an initial interview with investigators, Long claimed to have a “sex addiction” and authorities said he appeared to have acted against companies he viewed as tempting. But these statements have sparked outrage and widespread skepticism about the races of the victims.
