Georgia District Attorney Intends to File Hate Crime Charges Against Robert Aaron Long
A Georgia district attorney intends to file hate crime charges against Robert Aaron Long, 22, who is accused of shooting and killing eight people, including six Asian women, at massage spas in the Atlanta area on March 16. Long was indicted Tuesday on murder charges.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking the death penalty, which goes against a statement she made last year at a candidate forum during her campaign for district attorney in which she said she would refuse to seek the death penalty as a sentence, the Associated Press reported.
Tuesday's indictment of Long by a Fulton County grand jury is regarding the deaths of Suncha Kim, 69, Soon Chung Park, 74, Hyun Jung Grant, 51, and Yong Ae Yue, 63, at two separate locations. A separate grand jury will decide on Long's involvement in Cherokee Country, where he allegedly killed Xiaojie "Emily" Tan, 49, Daoyou Feng, 44, Delaina Yaun, 33, and Paul Michels, 54.
Online records show that the hate crime charges are based on the actual or perceived race, national origin, and sex and gender. If Long is convicted of a crime, it is up to the jury to decide if it is a hate crime, which would add an additional penalty under Georgia's new hate crime law.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/georgia-district-attorney-intends-to-file-hate-crime-charges-against-robert-aaron-long/ar-BB1gChX5