Atlanta Spa Killer Gets Four Life Sentences in Plea Deal; Still Faces Death Penalty

A man who killed eight people across three Georgia spas last year has pleaded guilty to four murders.

Robert Aaron Long went on his murderous rampage in March, starting in Cherokee County. The 22-year old shot and killed Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, and Delaina Ashley Yaun-Gonzalez. Another victim, Elcias Rocendo Hernandez Ortiz, was severely injured from a gunshot wound to the face. Long then drove to Atlanta, where he killed Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong Yue at another spa before crossing the street to Aromatherapy Spa and fatally shooting another woman. Six of the deceased were of Asian descent, which caused many to believe that the murders were a hate crime.

Long pleaded guilty in Cherokee County in a negotiated plea deal with the District Attorney’s office. As a part of the deal, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, he could still face the death penalty in Atlanta, which Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is pushing for.

Authorities have not been able to say indefinitely if the murders were a hate crime. Shortly after the shooting spree, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, Captain Jay Baker, stated that the shootings resulted from Long having a “bad day,” a comment that received widespread backlash.