The perpetrator responsible for the Atlanta-area Asian massage parlor killings received a life sentence on Tuesday for the initial phase of his assault. Further legal proceedings will determine his fate for the remaining homicides, potentially resulting in a capital punishment sentence.
Robert Aaron Long, 22, confessed to the four murders that transpired on March 16th at an Acworth establishment, located approximately 50 kilometers outside Atlanta. Court documents viewed by AFP confirmed the plea. Following a hearing attended by victims’ families, the judge imposed an irreversible life sentence for this massacre.
On that same day, he attacked two additional businesses within the sprawling Southern metropolis, claiming four more lives. These subsequent shootings, falling under a distinct jurisdiction, are currently under separate adjudication.
In contrast to the initial investigators, the Fulton County prosecutor – whose jurisdiction encompasses Atlanta – has asserted a racial motive, highlighting that six of the eight victims were of Asian descent. Prosecutor Fani Willis intends to pursue the death penalty, citing the “brutal and inhuman” nature of the crimes. A trial date remains undetermined.
“A fixation on sex”
The young man, a devout Christian and gun enthusiast, readily admitted guilt, yet denied racial motivation, portraying himself as a sex addict seeking to quell an “urge”.
According to the Atlanta-Journal-Constitution, he reiterated this defense before Judge Ellen McElya. He described purchasing a firearm with suicidal intentions due to “shame,” after parking near a previously frequented massage parlor and consuming alcohol. He claimed the decision to kill the occupants formed during this time. The local paper quoted him as stating, “I sought to halt the activities and punish those involved.”
This defense has met with widespread skepticism and outrage among Asian Americans, who have decried the biases and misconceptions impacting women within their community. While not offering a definitive opinion on the investigation’s outcome, President Joe Biden deemed the post-pandemic surge in violence against Asian Americans deeply troubling.
