ATLANTA — Robert Aaron Long, who faces multiple murder charges in a case where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty over the March 2021 spa shootings in Atlanta and Cherokee County, was back in court Monday in his long-winding case.
At stake for Long in upcoming proceedings are several critical pieces of evidence and whether they will be introduced at trial.
Among other items, prosecutors want to tell a jury about his guilty plea already submitted in the resolved Cherokee County case - for which he was already sentenced to life in prison for four killings that occurred in that jurisdiction - and about his confessions to the killings following his arrest in south Georgia hours after the massacres.
None of the substance of any of these motions was up for argument in court Monday. Instead, attorneys and Judge Ural Glanville discussed when to have the next hearings in the case.
They arranged for evidentiary motions to be held Sept. 28-29, with a further two hearings for both evidentiary and non-evidentiary motions on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27.
Monday's hearing was held as Long's attorneys had moved for a continuance to postpone them, arguing that Fulton County DA Fani Willis' intention to seek the death penalty "imposes an extraordinary burden upon the Court, the State and defense counsel to ensure the fairness, accuracy and reliability of the trial and any subsequent sentencing proceeding."
Prosecutors did not oppose a continuance.
Long's attorneys also cited the Fulton County indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants over alleged 2020 election interference - and the "media storm" it has created - in arguing for a delay of the motions hearings.
"While both sides are available to be in court, it is possible that heightened security encircling the courthouse is warranted because of the recently announced indictment. Should Mr. Long’s case be incidentally connected to the former president it could bring unwarranted media attention and raises concern for the overall safety of our witnesses and families (the victims and Mr. Long's)," the filing stated. "There will be significantly more attention because of the announcement of the indictment than the hearings would attract on their own. The District Attorney shares these safety concerns."
Long's attorneys further argued he "fears the aggressive and saturating media coverage will overflow into Mr. Long’s case and will only serve to prejudice him and his case going forward" and that "the potential for Mr. Long’s legal arguments and evidence to be distorted is overwhelming."