Georgia spa shooter gets four consecutive life terms in plea deal

CANTON, Ga. — Robert Aaron Long, accused of fatally shooting eight people at three Atlanta-area spas, pleaded guilty to four of the murders in a deal formalized Tuesday in a Cherokee County courtroom.

The agreement spares him a death sentence, though that possibility remains in Fulton County, where District Attorney Fani Willis said she will seek the death penalty for the 22-year-old defendant. Regardless, Long’s deal with Cherokee prosecutors ensures he will spend the rest of his life in prison. He was handed four consecutive life sentences, plus 35 years, without the possibility of parole.

Long’s rampage inside Youngs Asian Massage on March 16 killed Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49, Daoyou Feng, 44, Delaina Yaun, 33, and Paul Michels, 54. A fifth person, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, was injured.

In a news conference after Tuesday’s hearing, Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said the families of the shooting victims wanted “swift justice.”

“Today the families of those who were viciously murdered and the victims who were shot received justice,” Wallace said. “(Our) community will begin to heal from these unspeakable acts of violence.”

As a result of the plea deal, Long will spend the rest of his life in prison, Wallace said. She offered no comment on the case against Long in Fulton County, which involves four other victims.

Though Cherokee officials did not pursue the death penalty for Long, it remains a possibility in the Fulton case. Both the FBI and Cherokee DA’s office investigated whether to designate the shootings as a hate crime, but determined not to add that enhancement to Long’s charges.

Clement Lin, an Asian American Atlanta resident, said he felt mixed emotions about Long’s four life sentences.

“In some ways, it feels like a relief, but I don’t fully trust our justice system,” Lin said. “At the end of the day, we know the motivations for these murders and the hatred towards Asian Americans won’t change as a result of this verdict. There’s still so much work to be done.”

Long’s attorneys said it was the 22-year-old’s desire to accept responsibility for his actions from the time of his first interview with police.