Guilty Plea in 4 Atlanta-Area Spa Killings

The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, also faces four murder charges in a neighboring county, where the prosecutor is seeking the death penalty.

CANTON, Ga. — The man accused of killing eight people at a string of Atlanta-area spas pleaded guilty on Tuesday to four counts of murder in suburban Cherokee County and will serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole plus 35 years in prison. But the man, Robert Aaron Long, still faces four other murder charges in nearby Fulton County, where the prosecutor is seeking the death penalty. Mr. Long, 22, appeared in court in a white dress shirt and gray dress slacks, his wrists shackled at his sides. He was clean shaven and wore glasses, with his hair shaved at the sides and long at the top. He stood before the judge and quietly answered, “Yes, ma’am,” when a prosecutor asked him if he understood the terms of the plea agreement.