Lawyers fight death penalty for man accused of shooting eight people inside Atlanta spas
Attorneys are fighting against a potential death sentence for the man accused of killing eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in a shooting spree spanning several different spas and massage parlors in the metro Atlanta area.
Just 21 years old at the time, Robert Long drove to Young’s Asian Massage, a business near Acworth, on March 16, 2021. He sat in the parking lot for nearly an hour, drinking Scotch he’d purchased at a store nearby, before he entered the parlor, paid for their services and then started shooting.
Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49, Daoyou Feng, 44, Delaina Yaun, 33, and Paul Michels, 54, were all killed in the gunfire while a fifth person, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, was injured.
From there, Long drove about 30 miles to the Gold Spa and the nearby Aromatherapy Spa, where he fatally shot Yong Ae Yue, 63, Soon Chung Park, 74, Suncha Kim, 69, and Hyun Jung Grant, 51.
Long was arrested later the same night and has since been charged with more than a dozen counts in connection with the deadly rampage. He has pleaded not guilty to murder charges and several others in Fulton County, where District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking the death penalty, in addition to a sentencing enhancement under Georgia’s new hate crimes law.
During a court appearance on Tuesday, his attorneys argued that the death penalty statute violates his constitutional rights and that the capital jury process could be biased against him.
They also argued contended Long’s age should bar the death penalty from consideration.
“The Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment protects Mr. Long from disproportionate and excessive punishment,” defense attorneys Jerilyn Bell and Christian Lamar wrote in a motion filed earlier this month.
“Mr. Long’s youth at the time of the offense — he was 21 years old — substantially lessens his culpability, and a sentence of death would be disproportionate to his diminished moral blameworthiness.”
His attorneys have filed dozens of motions on his behalf ahead of the trial, which is set to begin on Oct. 17.
Last year, Long pleaded guilty in Cherokee County to the four murders that occurred at Young’s Asian Massage in Cherokee County. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus an additional 35 years.
With News Wire Services
