GA - 8 dead after shootings at three spas, Atlanta, 16 Mar 2021 *arrest*

[Valiant]

He will likely be in court today, we may learn more. I’m still wondering about his social media presence.

Same link as above, an inactive Instagram account. Nothing mentioned about a Facebook page.
Robert Aaron Long: What we know about the suspect in Atlanta spa shootings - CNN

 

[Filly]

Sex addiction is not listed in the

Well, I hope the rehab place is reputable and tried to teach him better than to blame this on sex workers. I suppose his religious background already predisposes him to view women as temptresses and extramarital sex as wicked. Pretty sure no relapsing alcoholic has ever traveled around shooting brewery workers after a "bad day", but I could be wrong.

Hypersexuality aka sex addiction is not recognized in the DSM 5. I'm wondering what his treatment plan was? I looked up the rehab, and as far as I could see it is for drug and alcohol addiction. The 12 step approach.

Good post. Lapsing or relapsing alcoholics or addicts don't shoot the brewery or disstilery up. Sure don't shoot up the drug dealers.

Actually in the rooms often alcoholics want to be separate from addicts even. This? I don't know? Except "tough love" didn't work.

Yup. Religious aspect as well. Kirk Franklin is a recovering *advertiser censored* addict. So they named it anyway. "Ain't no party like a Holy Ghost party". Kirk didn't shoot anyone as he sang praise music.

This murderer IMO had troubles at jump street.

 

[Gibbo214]

Same link as above, an inactive Instagram account. Nothing mentioned about a Facebook page.
Robert Aaron Long: What we know about the suspect in Atlanta spa shootings - CNN

Witnesses claim that he was shouting, ' I am going to kill all Asians'.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[Inthedetails]

No, the victims were not all one race. The majority were Koarean. Not all were.
And the race angle has now taken off the table. It seems the victims were targeted by their occupation, not their nationality.

Race has not been taken off the table.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

I have been following the story.
Everything that has came out (except the original specification) has focused on this guy's sexual issues and addiction, not the race (or nationality) of the women.
He has been treated for sexual addiction. No evidence of hatred/bias against Koreans (or any other Asian nationality) has been discovered from looking into his past. My experience watching the background on shooters that hate a certain group of people enough to kill them speak about their hatred quite often before the crime. This guy spoke of sexual addiction, not bias.
Robert Aaron Long: What we know about the suspect in Atlanta spa shootings - CNN

Yep, that's what the officer (the one who posted photos of anti-Chinese t-shirts he made) said at Wednesday's press conference. The officer said nothng about the race issue.

Then it came out that the shooter shouted that he wanted to kill Asians.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

It's possible to have complicated motives - not just one cookie-cutter explanation why a criminal chose to commit a crime.

The guy could be messed about sex issues AND race issues....and maybe other issues too. We don't have to pick one motivation and exclude all others because they aren't The One Reason.

jmo

 

[sds71]

The first court appearance Thursday for the suspect in the Atlanta-area spa shootings has been canceled, a Cherokee County court official told The Washington Post.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, was expected in court Thursday for arraignment after eight people, including six Asian women, were fatally shot. But the Cherokee County clerk of courts confirmed to The Post early Thursday that his first appearance had been canceled.

An official with the court could not give a reason for why it was canceled, citing the details surrounding Long’s case as “sealed up.”

“All I can say is that it has been canceled today,” the court official told The Post.

Long has been charged with multiple counts of murder, homicide and aggravated assault. Authorities say he has confessed to the shootings.


Atlanta spa shootings: Live updates - The Washington Post

 

[Inthedetails]

The first court appearance Thursday for the suspect in the Atlanta-area spa shootings has been canceled, a Cherokee County court official told The Washington Post.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, was expected in court Thursday for arraignment after eight people, including six Asian women, were fatally shot. But the Cherokee County clerk of courts confirmed to The Post early Thursday that his first appearance had been canceled.

An official with the court could not give a reason for why it was canceled, citing the details surrounding Long’s case as “sealed up.”

“All I can say is that it has been canceled today,” the court official told The Post.

Long has been charged with multiple counts of murder, homicide and aggravated assault. Authorities say he has confessed to the shootings.


Atlanta spa shootings: Live updates - The Washington Post

I'm wondering if he confessed and doesn't want a trial.

jmo

edited to add....or would he still need to be arraigned even if he pleas guilty? Can someone who knows clarify that?

 

[adelynschmidt]

I would think that he would still have to appear for sentencing if he pleads guilty. And he has to appear in court to even plead guilty if I'm remembering correctly from past cases.

 

[Alethea]

I'm wondering if he confessed and doesn't want a trial.

jmo

edited to add....or would he still need to be arraigned even if he pleas guilty? Can someone who knows clarify that?

Defendants have the option to waive arraignment, particularly if they are not going to be seeking bail. They'd just be held until the next hearing or status conference is scheduled. Your lawyer can submit a formal waiver of arraignment or it can be done informally with the prosecutor and there'd be a bail hearing some time in the future.

 

[Inthedetails]

Defendants have the option to waive arraignment, particularly if they are not going to be seeking bail. They'd just be held until the next hearing or status conference is scheduled. Your lawyer can submit a formal waiver of arraignment or it can be done informally with the prosecutor and there'd be a bail hearing some time in the future.

Thanks for that info. Does it seem like that is happening here?

jmo

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[imstilla.grandma]

On Wednesday, the Cherokee County Sheriff Captain Jay Baker revealed that the suspect's parents came forward and helped the police catch their son.

Baker said that after the first shooting at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, local authorities released a screenshot of Long that they procured from security camera footage.

After the screenshot, Long's parents called the police and turned over a GPS tracking device that helped track his location through his car.

While the police are unsure as to why Long's parents were tracking him, they agreed that the cooperation from his parents was one of the most essential aide in tracking Long's Hyundai Tucson in Crisp County, which is 150 miles away from Atlanta.
Parents of Atlanta shooter handed over GPS to police to track him

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I'm wondering if he confessed and doesn't want a trial.

jmo

edited to add....or would he still need to be arraigned even if he pleas guilty? Can someone who knows clarify that?

My guess.... That they want to ensure they are making the right charges (to include putting it under the hate crime law for targeting the Asian (race) women (sex), see below what "hate" encompasses), or consideration that this will this be moved to be a federal case?

Last year, Georgia put into legislation hate crime law. The new hate crime law – which imposes additional penalties for crimes motivated by a victim's race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender or disability – passed the state's General Assembly on Tuesday. The law also mandates data collection on hate crime incidents in the state. Georgia governor signs hate crime law following Ahmaud Arbery shooting

I would expect he would need arraignment as the primary purpose of an arraignment is to give the defendant written notice of the charged crime(s) and take the defendant's plea.

ETA: Oh, I see @Alethea has posted above as an atty. re correct information on arraignment and that it can be waived in total.

 

[Inthedetails]

In 2018, in his late teens, the perp told this to his congregation:

"He goes on to say that when he was in seventh grade he attended a youth group and a speaker was discussing the biblical story of the prodigal son.

'The son goes off and squanders all that he has and lives completely for himself and then, when he finds he’s wanting to eat pig food, he realized there’s something wrong and he goes back to his father and his father runs back to him and embraces him. And by the grace of God I was able to draw the connection there and realize this is a story between what happened with me and God. I ran away living completely for myself, and he still wants me, and so that’s when I was saved.'”

Massage Parlor Massacres Suspect Said He Loved Guns & God

So it sounds like that even in 7th grade, the perp was either having big issues or felt a big guilt around some issues.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

Atlanta shooting suspect Robert Long: What to know

"The classmate shared photos of Long from her yearbooks, including one that shows a quote from him saying he felt like God was calling him to be a 'leader in the church.'

'I really feel like God is wanting me to be a leader in the church...' the quote says."

I'm sticking with my theory from yesterday that the guy "failed to launch" and transition from a teen with potential (and problems) to an adult. Instead of failing on his own, he destroyed what was around him....and will now spend the rest of his life in prison where he doesn't have to succeed other than being a model prisoner by doing what people tell him to do.

jmo, subject to change

 

[Alethea]

Thanks for that info. Does it seem like that is happening here?

jmo

Usually they just say the defendant waived arraignment (since it isn't really prejudicial or anything, some defendants want to avoid being in court, on tv, etc.). There could just be a delay for some other reason, hard to say.

 

[SpanishMossAntiques]

Capt. Jay Baker, a spokesperson for the Cherokee County sheriff’s office, said of the accused mass murderer, Robert Aaron Long: “Yesterday was a really bad day for him, and this is what he did.” Because when people have a bad day they just go out and kill a bunch of people - SMH... WTH is Capt. Baker thinking? That statement turns my stomach!

Capt. Baker is clearly racist; besides his complete lack of concern for the victims and their families, in his Facebook posts from March 30 and April 2 of last year he promoted sales of an anti-Asian T-shirt. The shirts, echoing the rhetoric of President Donald J. Trump, referred to the coronavirus as an “imported virus from Chy-na.” Baker needs to be fired - it's officers like him that are giving a bad name to police all over America.

Source: A sheriff’s deputy faced criticism for saying the suspect had a ‘bad day’ and for anti-Asian Facebook posts.

 

[Inthedetails]

Capt. Jay Baker, a spokesperson for the Cherokee County sheriff’s office

Snipped and bolded for emphasis.

The officer in question is the spokesperson for law enforcement. He knows to chose words and images carefully. The photo he posted last spring and the statements at the press conference yesterday were not mistakes on his part. He knew the meaning of the photo he posted and he knew the meaning of the words he left out of the press conference.

jmo