A 22-year old white man accused of the murders of eight people, including six women of Asian descent at Atlanta-area spas in March has been indicted on murder, felony murder, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and domestic terrorism charges. A jury could also add hate crime charges and the death penalty.
Robert Aaron Long (photo) was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in the March 16 killings at two spas of four people: Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63, the Associated Press reports.
“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 says she will seek hate crime charges and the death penalty from a jury. Georgia’s hate crime law makes the jury determine if a crime is a hate crime.
“It will be up to a separate grand jury in Cherokee County to decide on charges in the the shooting at a spa near suburban Woodstock in which four were killed and one person was wounded.”
This is a breaking news and developing story.