Georgia spa shooting suspect pleads not guilty to latest charges

The suspect in the Atlanta-area spa shootings that killed eight people including six Asian women in March has pleaded not guilty to the latest charges against him.

Robert Aaron Long pleaded not guilty in Fulton County Superior Court to charges of murder, aggravated assault and domestic terrorism in connection to four of the killings, NBC News reported. 

Long is accused of killing four people at Young’s Asian Massage in Cherokee County before driving to Gold Spa in Atlanta, where he is accused of killing three others. He then is accused of killing an eighth person at Aromatherapy Spa across the street.

In May, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis notified the court that she intends to seek the death penalty against Long. Willis is also planning to seek hate crime charges against Long for targeting women of Asian descent.

The shootings Long is charged in led to national outrage, putting the spotlight on incidents of anti-Asian hate and bias amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Tuesday’s plea is in connection with the four deaths that occurred at Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa. Those victims were Hyun Jung Grant, Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim and Yong Ae Yue.

Long has pleaded guilty to all of the charges in connection with the four deaths in Cherokee County, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in late July.

Of the four victims in Cherokee County, Xiaojie Yan, owned Young’s Asian Massage. The other three victims were Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels and Daoyou Feng.