CANTON, Ga. — A man accused of killing eight people and wounding a ninth at three Atlanta-area massage and spa businesses has pleaded guilty to four murders.
Robert Aaron Long's plea in a Cherokee County court resulted in four life sentences without parole Tuesday.
Long still faces the possibility of a death sentence if found guilty of murdering four people at two spas in Atlanta. In addition to murder, the charges for the Atlanta shootings include domestic terrorism with a hate crime enhancement.
Six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent, Long is white.
The 22-year-old has reportedly signed a plea deal that admits to the charges in Cherokee County, which include malice murder and aggravated assault.
Prosecutors say Long shot five people at Youngs Asian Massage in Cherokee County around 5 p.m. on March 16. He then drove south to Atlanta and killed three women at Gold Spa, then went across the street to Aromatherapy Spa and killed another woman.
The people who died in Cherokee County are Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Yaun, 33; and Paul Michels, 54.
The Atlanta victims at the two spas were: Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63.
