BREAKING: Spa shooting suspect had visited Atlanta locations before, cops say

[Calista241]

Source: AJC

Police on Thursday said their investigation has revealed that the suspect in Tuesday’s spa shooting spree in the metro area had visited both of the northeast Atlanta locations in the past.

“I can say that he had frequented both of those locations,” deputy police Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said at a news conference Thursday. “Unfortunately, they were at that location. I can’t say that he specifically targeted those individuals. He did frequent those two locations.”

The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, was arrested in South Georgia on Tuesday night. The 21-year-old from Woodstock has been charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.

...

At a news conference Wednesday, Cherokee investigators said Long had a sex addiction and frequented the types of businesses targeted in Tuesday’s shootings, reportedly calling them a “temptation he wanted to eliminate.”

Read more: https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-spa-shooting-suspect-had-visited-atlanta-locations-before-cops-say/ZL2A43CHM5H4ZAQTOKZ2HSQ3BA/

[dalton99a]

1. First we must seek understanding as to his sexual habits

[sfstaxprep]

3. He's Going To Have All New Sexual Habits

I guess at least in prison for the rest of his life, he won't need to be concerned with "temptation."

He'll surely get lots of love letters from admirers though, but won't be able to act upon them. Too bad.

[mahina]

24. Not ok

Come on, man

[snowybirdie]

2. He killed 8

Innocent people who were no threat to him. Life in prison. We don't need to know why or wring our hands to understand. He's a monster. Treat him accordingly.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

4. The fact that he didn't open the (proverbial) phone book that morning

And specifically choose to shoot up 3 random (i.e. that he did know of already) places called (things like) 'Touch of Asia Spa & Massage', etc ... is a legally important bit of evidence wrt to determining whether this crime was based on racial animosity.

In order for his (completely asinine and deplorable) explanation for 'eliminating temptation' to even *possibly* make any semblance of 'logical sense' (and I use that term very loosely here) ... is if these particular locations were where he was availing himself of services.

Personally I don't care much what happens to this scumbag, but this differentiation of 'motivations' may make the difference between getting the needle for a hate-crime, and getting life in prison w/o parole.

[jmowreader]

21. He's facing death anyway

I checked the Georgia statute. “Creating a great risk of death to more than one person,” which he did by walking into a place and shooting several people, is on the list of aggravating circumstances. So, he’s pretty much guaranteed a bed in death row anyway.

[Corgigal]

5. They all said no, huh?

Just didn’t have much to offer, 21 year old goofy man/child. Couldn’t have put in some time and effort.

Might be wrong, and hope to be. However, some men really lose it when a woman says no.

Last week, my beautiful daughter, who is 30 year old, and has natural red hair, had some creepy dude whispering to her about how he loves her. She never felt so alone in a big box store.

[localroger]

7. In a case like this, the problem isn't that they said no

The problem is that they said yes, and he hates himself for his own weakness in giving in to the temptation to ask them. It does sound crazy but it's a consistent theme in sexually motivated serial killers for decades since the pattern was recognized.

[Corgigal]

8. Ah, I see.

Yeah, It. Just blaming the woman another stupid way.

[localroger]

27. Yes, literally

Nobody said serial killer logic makes good sense. But this is a consistent pattern among dozens of serial killers documented over fifty years. It is a mistake to think a crime like this is about hatred either of Asians or of women. It's an important distinction because the kind of things you might try to mitigate race hatred or misogyny won't work on these people, and might even make their problem worse, because it's not that they think their victims are subhuman. They kill because they think their victims have a power over them that they are unable to resist. Unfortunately we really have no idea how to fix people who are broken in this way.

[PoliticAverse]

10. Others are often victims of someone's self-hate unfortunately. n/t

[mahina]

25. True.

Blinding selfishness

[localroger]

6. This is a consistent pattern among dozens of sexually motivated serial killers

The thing they hate is their own desire, and they are seeking to eliminate the object of that desire so that they can eliminate the temptation to fulfill it. I strongly suspect the only reason so many Asians were victims is that it either that he fetishizes Asian women or these businesses were the most convenient means for him to give in to his desires before he popped a cork and decided to eliminate the things that made him feel dirty.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

9. I agree with your assessment along these line on another thread, and agree again here

So, let's say such a fetish and his (pathetic and lame) sense of 'shame' ... actually is 'the motivation' for this asshole, like the others you mention.

I think that would clearly make this a 'race-related' crime, I don't think that can be reasonable denied. Race played a role here, even if it wasn't animosity, per se, against people of that race.

But is it a 'racially-motivated' crime? Does it meet the definition of a hate crime, if in fact he hates himself for the temptation, and the target of his lust is Asian women?

We know for sure if you kill someone because you hate the race of that person, this is a hate-crime. Dylann Roof being the poster child for this concept.

So now ... if you kill someone because you have some weird freaking anti-sex religious guilt thing going on, and people of a certain race are the object of your desire ... and you hate yourself for your desire ... does this qualify for prosecution as a hate-crime against those persons? In THEORY, you don't hate them for their race in this scenario.

If I were a prosecutor looking to get him on a hate crime beef ... I'd be looking for some kind of proof that he hated himself SPECIFICALLY because he lusted after Asian women, as opposed to women in general. I think that might convince a jury this was a hate crime.

I think it would convince me.

[PoliticAverse]

11. He murdered 8 people. Should it make any difference in his sentence if it was a 'hate crime'?

Should he be getting a lesser sentence if it wasn't?

[Calista241]

13. He'll be lucky to not get the death penalty. Whether they charge him as a hate crime or not.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

17. 'Should it'? I would definitely say no to that.

But, to my understanding, Hate Crimes are part of a Federal statute, which can in turn create a call for Federal involvement (FBI, federal courts, etc) on the basis of civil rights violations.

As such, I believe it can make the difference between death or not, and where you spend your life in prison ... in the Federal Pen, or State prison.

So ... regardless of what any of us 'think should be', it could matter to the outcome whether this is categorized as a hate crime.

[greenjar_01]

15. "even if it wasn't animosity, per se, against people of that race"

FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!!!

[Hugh_Lebowski]

18. You care to proffer an actual counter argument?

To be clear, I'm hoping to stick this shithead with the worst possible outcome.

A federal hate crime would make it so.

I'm just not sure it would stick, based on the currently available evidence (yet).

[PoliticAverse]

19. No, a murder conviction with the death penalty in Georgia would be the "worse possible outcome"

for him.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

22. Okay, cool ... I won't worry about the federal upcharge then, thanks :) nt

[mahina]

26. I think he's just trying to avoid the tougher sentence for a hate crime

Think about what the odds are, in Georgia, that you shoot any eight people and they’re all going to be Asian.

[AllaN01Bear]

12. yet another self appointed , self centered heterosexuals whom appoint themselves god .

and use lame excues to do this .

[greenjar_01]

14. No shit

[BigmanPigman]

16. Too bad the gun didn't go off in his pocket and shoot his crotch.

That would have solved his sex addiction and the person responsible would also be the victim. GOOD!

[COL Mustard]

20. Wonderful. Another Guy Who Can't Get Laid On His Own

Makes life miserable for a whole bunch of other people.

I'm normally not in favor of the death penalty, but this guy deserves it if anyone does.

[IronLionZion]

23. Premeditated murder

it should be harder to claim it was a random crime of passion if he knew these places.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

28. Exactly what I was thinking, maybe he was rejected when he asked for sex and they dont do that

Like he thought, who knows, he's a murderer, lock him up and let him spend the rest of his days on death row.

[Calista241]

29. Not only that, he drove over 30 miles between a couple stores.

And then told the cops he was on his way to Florida to do it again. It doesn't get any more clear cut than that.