Atlanta Shooter Indicted on Murder Charges, Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty

Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in the March shootings in the Atlanta region has been indicted on murder charges, and a prosecutor filed to seek the death penalty and hate crime charges.

About the indictment: A Fulton County grand jury indicted the 22-year-old in the killings of Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant and Yong Ae Yue, at the spas in Atlanta.

  • Long was indicted for 19 counts total including "four charges for malice murder four charges of felony murder, one charge for domestic terrorism, five charges of aggravated assault and five charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony," WRCB reported.

  • Fani Willis, Fulton County's District Attorney filed a notice of intent to "seek hate crime charges and the death penalty," according to AP News.

  • Although Georgia's new hate crime laws do not allow a stand-alone hate crime, an additional penalty can be added after a person is convicted if a jury has ruled it as a hate crime.

  • The killings qualify for the death penalty because Long was in the act of "committing another capital offense" and was "committed during an act of domestic terrorism," explained Willis' notice.


In Cherokee County: A separate grand jury in Cherokee County has indicted Long for the killings of the four other victims: Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Yaun, and Paul Michels.

  • Charges included "four counts of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, 11 counts of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and criminal damage to property in the first degree," CNN reported.

  • District attorney Shannon Wallace said in a statement that the decision for seeking the death penalty would be announced prior to the arraignment.


Featured Image via 11 Alive (Left), Cherokee County Sheriff's Office (Right)

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