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u.s. news Diaranson 28 Juli 2021

Man pleads guilty to 4 Asian spa killings, sentenced to life

(AP) — A man accused and killed four people, three anything derogatory about
of killing eight people, of them women and two any racial or ethnic group,
most of them women of of Asian descent, at Youngs Wallace said.
Asian descent, at Atlanta- Asian Massage in Cherokee
area massage businesses County, according to police The American Psychiatric
pleaded guilty to murder accounts. A fifth person was Association does not recog-
Tuesday in four of the kill- wounded. Long then drove nize sex addiction in its main
ings and was handed four to Atlanta, where he shot and reference guide for mental
sentences of life without killed three women at Gold disorders. While some peo-
parole. Spa before going across the ple struggle to control their
street to Aromatherapy Spa sexual behaviors, it’s often
Robert Aaron Long, 22, still and fatally shooting another linked to other recognized
faces the death penalty in the woman, police said. All of the disorders or moral views
four other deaths, which are Atlanta victims were of Asian about sexuality, said David
being prosecuted in a dif- descent. Ley, clinical psychologist and
ferent county. The string of author of “The Myth of Sex
shootings at three different In Atlanta, Long could be Addiction.”
businesses in March ignit- sentenced to death if con-
ed outrage and fueled fear victed in the four deaths. Wallace said prosecutors family, and he feels for the
among Asian Americans, There, he also faces charges planned to seek the death relatives of those who died. Long said he had planned to
who were already facing in- of aggravated assault and do- penalty if Long didn’t plead kill himself that day and went
creased hostility at the time mestic terrorism in addition guilty. All relatives of the The prosecutor said the de- to the massage businesses
linked to the coronavirus to murder, and prosecutors victims they’ve been able to fendant signed a plea agree- thinking that paying for
pandemic. Many were partic- have said they will seek to contact supported the plea ment admitting to all charges sex — which he considered
ularly upset when authorities have the deaths classified as a deal in the interest of swift in Cherokee County, where wrong — would push him to
suggested Long’s crimes were hate crime. justice, she added. he was accused of malice do it. But at some point while
not racially motivated but in- murder, felony murder, at- sitting in his car outside the
stead born of a sex addiction, Wallace explained that Cher- Reached by phone, Michael tempt to commit murder and first spa, he decided to kill the
which is not recognized as an okee County prosecutors Webb, the ex-husband of vic- aggravated assault. Chero- people inside.
official disorder. came to a different conclu- tim Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, said kee County Superior Court
sion. When Long walked the family was “very satis- Chief Judge Ellen McE- After he was apprehended in
In comments sure to fur- through the first spa “shoot- fied” with the plea. lyea accepted the agreement, south Georgia, Long told de-
ther frustrate those who be- ing anyone and everyone he handing him four sentences tectives of his struggles with
lieve Long targeted Asian saw,” Wallace said he told in- Bonnie Michels, whose hus- of life without parole plus an pornography and sex. He be-
women, a prosecutor reiter- vestigators he was motivated band of 24 years, Paul, was additional 35 years. lieved he was an addict, and
ated Tuesday that Cherokee by a “sex addiction” and his the first person killed, told felt tremendous guilt and
County investigators saw no desire to eliminate sources the judge about the hole in Those killed at the Cherokee shame when he viewed porn
evidence of racial bias. That’s of temptation at businesses her life left by his death. County spa were: Tan, 49; or engaged in sexual acts at
at odds with the hate crime where he engaged in sex acts. Michels, 54; Daoyou Feng, massage businesses, Wallace
enhancement that Long, who Investigators interviewed Elcias Rocendo Hernandez 44; and Delaina Yaun, 33. The said.
is white, faces just miles away people who’d known him Ortiz, who was shot in the Atlanta victims were: Suncha Long said he was driven by a
in the four Atlanta deaths. for years, including three face, also addressed the court, Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, desire to “punish” the people
of Asian descent, who said speaking in Spanish. He said 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; who worked there.
On March 16, Long shot they’d never heard him say it has been very hard for his and Yong Ae Yue, 63.

Old bugaboo complicates US-Russia search for new arms deal

(AP) — In their search through, but it likely will lead er the world’s two biggest sians have said U.S. missile The Russians have long in-
for a new approach to to additional talks. nuclear powers can avoid a defenses compelled them sisted there can be no strate-
arms control, Moscow new arms race. At stake are to seek new weapons that gic stability without limits on
and Washington are likely Russia’s point man on arms what President Joe Biden has could evade those defenses, defensive as well as offensive
to soon encounter an old control negotiations, Ser- called “new and dangerous and they recently offered to weapons. Ryabkov, the dep-
bugaboo: Russia’s demand gei Ryabkov, told reporters and sophisticated weapons include these in future arms uty foreign minister, has left
that the U.S. stop resisting in Moscow on Tuesday that that are coming on the scene control negotiations. That no doubt that Moscow will
limits on its missile de- the Russian delegation had now that reduce the times of gesture is seen by some as an insist that missile defense be
fenses, which the Russians submitted proposals in writ- response, that raise the pros- opening for Washington to part of a future arms control
view as a long-term threat ing, although he offered no pects of accidental war.” drop its opposition to nego- arrangement.
and the Americans see as a details. He said the purpose tiating limits on missile de-
deterrent to war. of Wednesday’s session will Biden appeared to be re- fenses. “Addressing the issue of mis-
be to “analyze in detail where ferring to emerging tech- sile defense has no alternative
It is likely to arise when U.S. we have differences, and try nologies such as hypersonic When they met in Geneva for us,” he told an interna-
and Russian officials open a to find directions for joint weapons, artificial intelli- on June 16, Biden and Rus- tional conference June 22.
“strategic stability” dialogue work where there is a certain gence and space weapons, sian President Vladimir Pu- He said Russia cannot accept
Wednesday in Geneva — talks opportunity,” according to a which are being pursued not tin agreed to begin mapping a U.S. assurances that its mis-
meant to lay the groundwork Tass news agency report. just by the United States and new road to arms control by sile defenses are meant only
for future arms control and Russia but also China, whose reopening the “strategic sta- to shoot down rockets fired
to reduce the risk of nuclear The missile defense dispute rapid military advances have bility” talks that had faltered by North Korea or potential-
war. The talks are an area of has shot down past efforts to complicated the international in the final months of the ly by Iran.
modest promise in a relation- broaden the scope of arms arms control picture. Trump administration. The
ship otherwise marred by control negotiations to in- idea is to explore possibilities “Sooner or later,” Ryabkov
disputes over ransomware at- clude more than the tradi- Biden may also have had in for negotiating arms deals said, the U.S. will increase
tacks, Russian military inter- tional category of “strategic,” mind Russia’s pursuit of ex- to succeed the New START its defensive capabilities to
vention in Ukraine and other or long-range, nuclear mis- otic nuclear weapons, includ- treaty, which covers only the point where they will un-
issues. siles. Now it is among several ing a nuclear-powered and long-range nuclear-armed dermine the viability of Rus-
disagreements — magnified nuclear-armed cruise missile, weapons and is set to expire sian missiles. Therein lies the
The Geneva session is not ex- by mutual distrust — that are as well as a nuclear-powered in 2026. Russian concern about insta-
pected to yield a major break- likely to determine wheth- underwater drone. The Rus- bility.