Spa shootings could be first test of Georgia's new hate crime law
CNN
The shooting spree across the Atlanta area last week that left eight people dead at three spas could be the first test of the hate crime law passed by the Georgia Legislature last year.
Robert Aaron Long was charged with murder in both Fulton and Cherokee counties in connection with the killings. Prosecutors don't have to immediately notify the court if they're going to seek enhanced penalties spelled out under Georgia's new law, which was approved last summer and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp. And while investigators haven't offered a firm explanation for a motive behind the mass shootings, according to legal advocates, it's plainly evident the shootings were motivated by race and gender, both categories for a hate crime under Georgia state law. Authorities said Long told investigators that the shootings were not racially motivated and told them he has a "sexual addiction."
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