Death penalty to be sought in spa killings

The man accused of killing eight people, including six Asian women, in a spree targeting three Atlanta-area spas, was indicted Tuesday on murder charges in both Fulton and Cherokee counties, and Fulton prosecutors also plan to seek hate crime charges and the death penalty. 

Robert Aaron Long, 22, was indicted on four counts of murder in the March 16 shootings, along with four counts of felony murder, five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and one count of domestic terrorism, the Fulton indictment states.

In Cherokee, Long was also indicted on four counts of murder, along with four counts of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, 11 counts of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and criminal damage to property in the first degree, according to the indictment. 

"Today we have taken another step forward in seeking justice for the victims of this crime and for their family members," Shannon Wallace, Cherokee County's district attorney, said in a statement.

In Fulton County, District Attorney Fani Willis also filed notice that she intends to seek hate crime charges and the death penalty against Long. The hate crime charges are based on actual or perceived race, national origin, sex and gender, according to online records.

In a court filing, Willis said that Long selected his targets because of their "actual or perceived race, national origin, sex and gender".

The case against Long will be the first test of the hate crimes law passed by the Georgia Legislature last year. 

Authorities have said Long shot five people, killing four at Youngs Asian Massage near Woodstock. Georgia, shortly before 5 pm on March 16, three of whom were women and two who were of Asian descent. Ashley Yaun, 33, Paul Andre Michels, 54, Xiaojie Tan, 49, and Daoyou Feng, 44, all died from their injuries.

About an hour later and 30 miles south in Atlanta, Long shot and killed three women at Gold Spa before going across the street to Aromatherapy Spa and fatally shooting another woman, police have said. Yong Ae Yue, 63, Soon Chung Park, 74, Suncha Kim, 69, and Hyun Jung Grant, 51, were killed. All of those victims were women of Asian descent.

Long's parents alerted the police that they believed their son might be the suspect, and police were able to track Long's phone. Authorities arrested him on the night of the shootings.

Long, who is white, told authorities that his actions were not racially motivated and that he had a "sexual addiction".

A law enforcement source said the suspect had been kicked out of the house by his family due to his sexual addiction, which included spending hours watching pornography online, CNN reported.

Authorities said that Long was "having a bad day" when he decided to open fire on March 16 and he apparently lashed out at businesses he viewed as a temptation.

Those statements spurred outrage and widespread skepticism.

"I am relieved that this will be treated as a hate crime - to acknowledge that the victims were targeted because of their race is a necessary measure that will help Asians living in this country feel seen and heard and that this decision also recognizes that we can't divorce gender from race," Georgia state Representative Bee Nguyen told CNN.

"Where I diverge is the seeking of the death penalty. I don't believe that will bring justice for anyone," she said.

Agencies contributed to this story.