Fulton County Chief Judge Ural Glanville is deciding if he should allow the state to use a confession made by the man accused of shooting and killing four Asian women at massage businesses in 2021 in his upcoming death penalty trial.
Robert Aaron Long faces 19 charges in Fulton County, including felony murder and domestic terrorism, for the women’s deaths. Prosecutors are also seeking enhanced sentencing under Georgia’s new hate crimes law. The spa shootings sparked nationwide protests against hate crimes and discrimination targeting Asian Americans.
On Friday, several family members of the victims sat in the courtroom as Long’s lawyers argued against his confession being used against him, calling Long’s comments to investigators “inadequate” and “involuntary.”
While Long waived his Miranda rights verbally and in writing after his arrest, the defense claims that sometime during his nearly two-hour interrogation, he admitted that he had drank a bottle of Four Roses Bourbon before the shootings, meaning it is possible he was still under the effect of alcohol while confessing to the alleged crimes.
However, a witness for the state, Cherokee County Sgt. Robert Haugh, testified that Long never said he didn’t understand the questions, asked for a lawyer or ended the interview.
