Spa shooting suspect returns to court in death penalty case

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Published  June 1, 2026 12:38 PM EDT
FOX 5 Atlanta

Robert Aaron Long (FOX 5 Atlanta photo)

The Brief

    • Robert Aaron Long appeared in Fulton County court as prosecutors continue pursuing the death penalty in the Atlanta spa killings.
    • A second qualified defense attorney has joined the case, allowing the capital murder proceedings to move forward.
    • Long is already serving life without parole for the four murders committed in Cherokee County in 2021.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - More than five years after the metro Atlanta spa shootings that left eight people dead, the man accused of carrying out the attacks returned to a Fulton County courtroom Monday as his death penalty case moves ahead.

Robert Aaron Long, who is already serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for four killings in Cherokee County, faces separate charges in Fulton County connected to the deaths of four people at two Atlanta spas in March 2021.

New attorney added to defense team

Monday's hearing focused largely on defense representation.

What we know:

Under Georgia law, defendants facing a possible death sentence must be represented by at least two specially qualified attorneys. The Fulton County case had been delayed after one member of Long's legal team left the Fulton County Public Defender's Office earlier this year, leaving only one qualified attorney assigned to the case.

That issue has now been resolved. Nathanial Studelska of the Georgia Public Defender Council has joined the defense team alongside Fulton County attorney Karlyn Skall, allowing the case to proceed.

Prosecutors seeking death penalty

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis continues to seek the death penalty against Long.

He faces 19 charges in the Atlanta case, including felony murder and domestic terrorism stemming from the shootings at two spas in the city.

The charges are separate from the Cherokee County case, where Long pleaded guilty in 2021 to killing four people at a spa in Acworth. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for those murders.

Next hearing scheduled

What's next:

The court scheduled Long's next appearance for June 29 as both sides continue preparing for a potential capital murder trial.

If convicted on the Fulton County charges, Long could face a death sentence.

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The Source

  • Information for above story came from a recording of today's court proceedings and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting. 

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