It appears Robert Aaron Long, the man accused of killing eight people, six of them being Asian women, in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors was indicted yesterday on murder charges by two separate grand juries. And according to the AP, one prosecutor filed notice that she’ll also seek hate crime charges and the death penalty.
Crisp County Sheriff’s Office/ Getty Images
A Fulton County grand jury indicted Robert Aaron Long for the murder of four woman back on March 16th, including Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. A separate grand jury in Cherokee County indicted Robert Long for a separate shooting there that resulted in the killings of Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Yaun, 33; and Paul Michels, 54.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed notice that she will seek hate crime charges and the death penalty against Long, who is a white man, as six of the eight women he’s accused of killing were Asian. Willis’ motion to seek the death penalty marks a change from her previous stance, when she answered “yes” when asked if she would “commit to refuse to seek the death penalty” last year.
A separate grand jury in Cherokee County will decide on charges in relation to the other spa shooting that led to four deaths and an injury. We’ll keep you posted on details moving forward.