Prosecutor to seek hate crime charges in Atlanta spa shootings

Robert Aaron Long, accused of killing eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, was indicted on murder charges.

A man accused of killing eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage businesses has been indicted on murder charges, and a prosecutor says she would also seek hate crime charges and the death penalty. A Fulton County grand jury indicted Robert Aaron Long, 22, on Tuesday in the March 16 killings of Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63. The indictment only covers those four killings that happened at two spas in Atlanta, and not the attack in Cherokee County in which Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Yaun, 33; and Paul Michels, 54, were killed. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also filed notice that she intends to seek hate crime charges and the death penalty against Long, who is white. The hate crime charges are based on the actual or perceived race, national origin, sex and gender of the four women killed, the notice says.