(ALANTA) — Attorneys for Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in the Atlanta spa shootings case, are seeking to dismiss the death penalty as he awaits trial on multiple murder charges for the March 2021 massacre.
Long, 23, was indicted last year for the deaths of four women that occurred at Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa in Fulton County, Georgia.
He previously pleaded guilty to four other murders that took place the same day at Young’s Asian Massage in Cherokee County. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus an additional 35 years.
Long pleaded not guilty in Fulton County last year to four counts of murder, among other charges. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she’d seek the death penalty and hate crime charges against Long.
Long appeared in Fulton County court Tuesday for a motions hearing. His attorneys have filed dozens of motions on his behalf ahead of the trial, which is expected to start this fall.
In seeking to dismiss the death penalty, his attorneys argued that the death penalty statute violates his constitutional rights and that the capital jury process could be biased against him.
They also argued that Long’s age should bar the death penalty.
“The Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment protects Mr. Long from disproportionate and excessive punishment,” defense attorneys Jerilyn Bell and Christian Lamar wrote. “Mr. Long’s youth at the time of the offense — he was 21 years old — substantially lessens his culpability, and a sentence of death would be disproportionate to his diminished moral blameworthiness.”
In announcing that she would seek the death penalty, Willis told reporters that the case “warrants the ultimate penalty.”
Willis also filed sentencing enhancements under Georgia’s hate crime law, which offers guidelines for anyone convicted of targeting a person based on race, color, religion and gender. Willis said at the time that race and gender played a role in the shooting.
In the shooting spree, which occurred across two spas on March 16, 2021, six out of the eight people killed were Asian women.
The victims in Fulton County were Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63.
Paul Michels, 54; Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; and Delaina Yaun, 33, were killed in the shooting in Cherokee County.
When he entered his guilty plea in Cherokee County court last year, Long said he loathed his sex addiction and that he blamed it on the spas he claims to have frequented for sex.
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department said Wednesday it will appeal a court ruling by a Florida judge that struck down the federal government’s order to wear masks while traveling, after the administration’s top public health officials insisted the mandate was still necessary “at this time.”
The move is unlikely to force masks back on travelers just yet. The legal fight could take weeks or even months to resolve, and the federal government has said it’s not currently enforcing the mandate, which was set to expire on May 3.
But the Biden administration’s announcement makes clear that it wants to fight the ruling to retain the power to mandate masks aboard planes, inside airports and other transportation hubs to prevent the spread of disease.
“It is CDC’s continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health… CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in a statement.
Earlier this month, the CDC had extended the mask mandate for an extra two weeks, saying it needed more time to assess a recent uptick in cases and citing the unique risks posed by travel. But that plan was tossed out Monday after a Trump-appointed judge declared the latest extension of the mandate unlawful and said the agency hadn’t gone through the proper administrative process.
While many travelers cheered the move, the decision injected uncertainty into Americans’ travel plans and sowed confusion. Some people even said they were mid-flight when their pilot announced masks were suddenly optional. An estimated 3% of Americans are immunocompromised and more vulnerable to complications of the virus, even if vaccinated. Also, children under age 5 remain ineligible for the vaccine.
“It wouldn’t bother me as much if the removal of the mask mandate had come from a medical source — someone with perhaps a medical degree or a career spent studying viruses, causes and cures,” said John Shepard, an Uber driver in Winter Haven, Florida, who says he is immunocompromised.
“But to me, this was just a political move by a Trump-appointed judge who wanted to score political points, and it’s putting millions of people at risk,” he added.
Public health experts said it was possible the CDC was going to let the mandate lapse after May 3 anyway — if hospitalization numbers remained flat — but that it would want the power to reinstate it in the future.
“This change in policy sets a really challenging precedent for how public health is done in this country. A single judge overturning a mandate driven by public health professionals means that we’re unnecessarily putting many people at risk,” said John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC contributor.
The case is not a slam dunk for the administration. The next step is for the Justice Department to file its appeal with the 11th Circuit, and legal experts say it’s likely the decision will eventually end up with the Supreme Court, which has been skeptical in the past of federal powers related to the pandemic.
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — The dispute between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ and The Walt Disney Company continued to play out in public on Wednesday when the Florida state Senate passed a bill that would eliminate Walt Disney World’s special district in the state.
The legislation, which was voted on during a special session of the legislature focused on redistricting, was put forward by Republicans after Disney opposed Florida’s highly controversial Parental Rights in Education Law, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“I am announcing today that we are expanding the call of what they are going to be considering this week. And so yes, they will be considering the congressional map but they also will be considering termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968, and that includes the Reedy Creek Improvement District,” DeSantis said Tuesday, referring to Disney’s district.
The Florida Senate passed the bill in a 23-16 vote, and it’s expected to go to the House swiftly for a vote by Thursday.
If passed by the House and signed into law, it would terminate the special district that Walt Disney World uses to operate as its own municipality and could set up a court battle over the theme parks’ future.
ABC News is owned by The Walt Disney Company, which also owns Walt Disney World.
State Rep. Randy Fine, a sponsor of the measure, was in committee Wednesday to face questions from colleagues about the bill, and some asked whether the intent was to target the Walt Disney Company.
Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith asked Fine about what would happen to the other special districts that would be eliminated under the legislation and if they would become a “casualty of this vendetta against Disney.”
Fine pushed back, saying Republicans were looking into all special districts, not just Disney’s.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District is one of six districts the bill would eliminate. It stretches 25,000 acres and oversees its own land use and environmental protections as well as provides essential public services such as emergency medical services and fire protection.
Disney’s status became the subject of DeSantis’ public scrutiny after the media conglomerate spoke out about Florida’s new law that limits the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms and which DeSantis signed into law in late March. The Walt Disney Company vowed to help appeal it.
“Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law. Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country,” said a Disney spokesperson at the time.
(NEW YORK) — While the mask mandate on public transportation has been lifted, the Federal Aviation Administration’s zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers is here to stay, the agency said Wednesday.
The FAA instituted its zero-tolerance policy during the pandemic in an effort to curb a surge in disruptive behavior on planes.
The rule, which is now permanent, allows the FAA to fine passengers up to $37,000 per violation for unruly behavior.
The FAA said the program has helped reduce the incident rate by more than 60%.
“Behaving dangerously on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a news release. “Unsafe behavior simply does not fly and keeping our Zero Tolerance policy will help us continue making progress to prevent and punish this behavior.”
This year alone, the FAA has received 1,233 reports of unruly passengers on flights — 797 of which were mask-related.
The agency has issued over $2 million in fines just in 2022.
As of Feb. 16, 2022, the FAA had referred 80 unruly passenger cases to the FBI for criminal review.
(PITTSBURGH) — As the investigation to identify suspects entered its fourth day in a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh Airbnb house that left two teenagers dead, police amended the number of gunshot survivors from eight to nine.
The Pittsburgh Police Department said in a statement that the new non-fatal gunshot victim was taken to a hospital in a private car and arrived at an emergency room on the morning of the shooting in stable condition.
Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert said another five people suffered cuts and broken bones fleeing the gunfire, some by jumping from second-story windows.
No arrests have been announced in the shooting that occurred early Sunday morning during a party at an Airbnb rental in the East Allegheny neighborhood of North Pittsburgh that police said was attended by more than 200 people.
Schubert said Tuesday that about two hours before the shooting erupted, a police officer responded to a noise complaint at the Airbnb house, but left after issuing a verbal warning to keep the noise down.
“There was nothing unusual to indicate that something was wrong,” Schubert said. “We have some information that shows that a lot of these people didn’t come until after midnight.”
The shooting erupted around 12:40 a.m. Sunday, and investigators collected 90 shell casings from the scene, including 50 from inside the Airbnb home.
Schubert said the shooting broke out after an “altercation” inside the house, but has declined to elaborate.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the two 17-year-olds killed in the shooting as Mathew Steffy-Ross and Jaiden Brown. Both teens were scheduled to graduate from high school in June, according to friends and loved ones.
“Matthew was a fun, loving kid that cared so much about everybody. Matthew would give you the shirt off your back,” Steffy-Ross’ great-aunt, Bonnie McLain, told ABC affiliate station WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.
She described Steffy-Ross, a senior at Grace Non-Traditional Christian Academy in Pittsburgh, as having “the biggest smile in the world.”
“He cared about people and he loved people, and he acted upon it,” McLain said, adding that she last spoke to her nephew on Saturday morning and heard of his death from a neighbor on Sunday.
Pittsburgh community activist Lee Davis of the Greater Valley Coalition Against Violence told WTAE that he was a mentor to both Steffy-Ross and Brown.
“I have been to over 100 funerals in the 17 years I have been doing this work, and I thought I was all cried out, but when I seen what happened to Jaiden and Matt, the tears just came all over again,” Davis said. “It just hurt my heart.”
Davis said he knew Brown, a senior at Woodland Hills High School in Pittsburgh, since he was a child.
“His energy was great,” Davis said of Brown. “Everybody loved him, and he became very well-liked in the community. To see this happen to him was really heartbreaking … because he had a very bright future.”
Cathy Jo Welsh, a member of the youth anti-violence program Helping Out Our People in Pittsburgh, said Brown’s father died from an illness a few years ago and that Steffy-Brown’s mother died recently.
“(Steffy-Brown) was just getting his bearings from losing his own mother and just learning how to live with trauma and grief,” Welsh told WTAE.
(NEW YORK) — The man accused of pushing a New York City woman to her death in front of an oncoming subway train in January was deemed unfit to stand trial at a court hearing Tuesday in accordance with findings from a psychiatric evaluation.
Simon Martial, 61, will now be sent to a psychiatric facility under the custody of the city’s Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Briggs’ office.
The DA’s office did not contest the determination, but told ABC News that the office will continue to review the case and pursue Martial’s conviction.
Michelle Alyssa Go had been standing on the southbound N/Q/W/R platform at Times Square station on Jan. 15, looking at her phone, when she was suddenly shoved, unprovoked, onto the tracks, police say. She was pronounced dead at the scene just weeks after celebrating her 40th birthday.
Martial, who is homeless, fled the station but turned himself in later that day, according to police. He was charged with second degree murder.
New York County Defender Services, which is representing Martial, declined to comment Wednesday when reached by ABC News.
Though police have not classified the tragic attack as a hate crime, Go’s death heightened anxiety around a rise in anti-Asian sentiments and violence, weighing heavily on many as they came together for vigils in Times Square and San Francisco’s Chinatown in honor and remembrance of the Fremont, California, native and several other Asian crime victims back in January.
Go was a consultant for Deloitte and a longtime volunteer and advocate for the homeless, according to ABC affiliate WABC-TV.
Her family released a statement describing her as a “beautiful, brilliant, kind, and intelligent woman who loved her family and friends, loved to travel the world and help others.”
(NEW YORK) — After undergoing a major brand revamp, Victoria’s Secret has continued to roll out new, inclusive launches including it’s recent venture: Happy Nation.
The lingerie retailer announced the new brand on Tuesday and revealed that it is a fully digital brand for tweens ages 8-13.
This new release includes a large assortment of genderless, size-inclusive undergarments, swimwear, apparel and body care.
Happy Nation was inspired and developed by a mix of the company’s internal leaders, many of which are parents to tweens, as well as external experts who had an aim to ensure everything from its creative to photography and social media communications foster a safe, inclusive and supportive environment.
Throughout the lineup of items, shoppers will notice standard sizing ranging from S – XL to extended sizes that include SM+ – XL+.
“We heard from tweens and their parents that they felt like there isn’t an apparel or beauty brand that celebrates and lends a helping hand in their personal evolution,” said Claudine Rankin, GM at Happy Nation, in a statement. “As a mother, I feel a deep responsibility to be intentional about every decision behind this brand. The tween years can be a time of immense change and challenges yet excitement for both tweens and their parents, and we hope Happy Nation can provide the authenticity that younger generations crave, while offering comfy clothing and body care products that kids and their parents can feel good about.”
There are currently no plans to bring the kid-friendly brand to physical retail stores, but the brand does plan to engage with those interested on its social media platforms. There are also plans to activate in the metaverse — which is a first for any of Victoria’s Secret & Co.’s brands.
(BETHANY, Conn.) — A Connecticut State Police trooper was arrested on a felony manslaughter charge after a report by the state inspector general alleged his use of deadly force was not justified in the January 2020 shooting of a 19-year-old Black man.
Trooper Brian North, 31, surrendered Tuesday at the state police barracks in Bethany, Connecticut, after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with the fatal shooting of Mubarak Soulemane, state police said.
State Inspector General Robert Devlin Jr.’s investigation found that although Soulemane was allegedly armed with a steak knife, had stolen a Lyft rideshare vehicle and was apparently off his medication for schizophrenia, he was not a threat to North and other officers when he was shot multiple times, according to the report released Wednesday.
Soulemane was killed when North allegedly fired seven times at him through the closed driver’s side window of a stolen Lyft vehicle after troopers stopped him and pinned him in on Interstate 95 in West Haven following a chase that reached speeds of 100 mph, according to the report.
Delvin’s investigation found that Soulemane was sitting behind the wheel of the car surrounded by troopers and officers from other agencies and was trapped inside because North’s cruiser was blocking the driver’s side door.
An officer from the West Haven Police Department was bashing in the passenger-side window with a baton and another trooper was poised to deploy a stun gun on Soulemane when North opened fire as Soulemane reached into his pocket and pulled a knife, according to the report.
“Stated briefly, the investigation establishes that, at the time Trooper North fired his weapon, neither he nor any other person was in imminent danger of serious injury or death from a knife attack at the hands of Soulemane,” Devlin concluded in his report. “Further, any belief that persons were in such danger was not reasonable. I therefore find that North’s use of deadly force was not justified under Connecticut law.”
North, a seven-year veteran of the Connecticut State Police, was booked on a charge of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, Devlin said in a statement. North was released on $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Milford on May 3.
‘A good day’
North was placed on administrative leave and his police powers have been suspended pending criminal proceedings, according to state police.
Mark Arons, the attorney for Soulemane’s family, said the arrest marked “a good day” for the family.
“This is the first step in the journey for justice for the wrongful killing of a 19-year-old Black youth in Connecticut…The family looks forward on this matter being tried and this state trooper being convicted,” Arons said in a statement.
The incident unfolded on Jan. 15, 2020, in Norwalk, Connecticut, after police received a complaint that Soulemane was armed with a knife and acting erratically at an AT&T store, according to Devlin’s report.
Police were called to the store, but Soulemane left in a Lyft vehicle as they arrived. The Lyft driver told police that Soulemane ordered him to “drive, drive, drive” when he got into the car, according to the report.
The driver alleged that Soulemane demanded his cellphone and slapped him on the side of the head when he refused, the report says. The driver told police he drove to a gas station and got out of the car, pulling a gun on Soulemane and flagging down a police officer, according to the report.
Soulemane allegedly jumped into the driver seat and fled, prompting the police chase.
Trooper claims he was protecting officers
North told investigators, according to the report, that he opened fire because he was concerned that the officers on the passenger-side of the car were in “imminent risk of serious physical injury or death.”
“As a result, I discharged my duty firearm to eliminate the threat,” North told investigators, according to the report.
North’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
Connecticut State Police Union officials released a statement to ABC affiliate station WTNH-TV in New Haven, saying they are “disappointed” in the inspector general’s decision to prosecute North.
The union added that North “was forced to make a split-second decision during these dangerous and rapidly evolving circumstances.”
The union asked the public to reserve judgment “until all facts are known in this case.”
“Trooper North was risking his own life while trying to fulfill his oath of office to protect the lives of others,” the union’s statement said. “Regardless of the Inspector General’s decision, we will respect the judicial process while we vigorously defend Trooper North and his actions. It is our obligation to protect Trooper North’s constitutional right to due process of law and a fair trial.”
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
Russian forces have since retreated from northern Ukraine, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. The United States and many European countries accused Russia of committing war crimes after graphic images emerged of dead civilians in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv. The Russian military has now launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, as it attempts to capture the strategic port city of Mariupol and secure a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 21, 5:13 am
Putin cancels Mariupol plant attack, orders site blocked off
Russian President Vladimir Putin canceled his military’s attack on a Mariupol steel plant, one of the last areas in the port city held by Ukrainian forces, ordering his troops to instead seal all exit routes from the sprawling plant.
“I consider the proposed assault on the industrial zone impractical,” Putin told Sergei Shoigu, his defense minister, during a meeting televised on Thursday by Russian state media, according to a translation of the Kremlin’s official transcript.
The Mariupol city council claimed Tuesday that there are at least 1,000 civilians, mostly women with children and the elderly, seeking shelter in the Azovstal Steel and Iron Works plant. It was unclear how many Ukrainian troops were defending the site.
Putin in the televised meeting ordered his troops to “block” the industrial zone. He repeated the claim that Moscow would let troops leave unharmed if they lay down their weapons and surrender.
“There is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground on these industrial facilities,” Putin said. “Block this industrial area so that the fly does not fly.”
Apr 20, 4:37 pm
Delegations walk out on Russian official
During a G20 meeting of economic and finance ministers on Wednesday, delegations from several countries, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, walked out of the room while Russia’s delegate began his remarks, the White House confirmed.
Canada’s Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, tweeted a photo of several officials, including herself, Yellen, U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde, outside of the meeting room, standing in solidarity with Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko.
“It’s an indication of the fact that President Putin and Russia has become a pariah on the global stage,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
The Treasury also unveiled new sanctions Wednesday against dozens of Russian and Belarusian people and institutions, including a key commercial bank and a virtual currency mining company.
“This is part of our stepped-up effort to crack down on those attempting to evade our unprecedented sanctions,” Psaki said.
The State Department has also imposed visa restrictions on over 600 Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainian separatists backed by the Kremlin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Apr 20, 3:59 pm
UN chief seeks peace talks with Putin, Zelenskyy
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres wrote separate letters to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday asking to meet “to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine,” a UN spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the president’s office, tweeted that Ukraine is ready to hold a special round of negotiations in Mariupol.
Apr 20, 3:25 pm
Thousands more Russians enter Donbas: US official
Four more Russian battalions, each made up of roughly 800 to 1,000 troops, have crossed into Ukraine over the last 24 hours, a senior U.S. defense official said Wednesday. Three of those battalions — or up to 3,000 troops — moved to the disputed Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, the official said.
Four flights carrying military aid, including artillery, from the Biden administration’s most recent $800 million package arrived in Ukraine over the last 24 hours, the official said. More supplies are set to arrive over the next day, the official said.
When ABC News asked why the U.S. decided to send artillery, the official responded: “We’re mindful of the importance of artillery in the fight that they’re in right now and in the fighting in the days to come because of the terrain, and because of what we think they’re going to be up against with Russian forces.”
Another reason was “the fact that it wouldn’t require an onerous amount of training for the Ukrainians to know how to use them” and the ability to ship them quickly, according to the official.
Apr 20, 2:12 pm
Humanitarian corridor from Mariupol didn’t work as planned Wednesday
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Wednesday’s humanitarian corridor from Mariupol didn’t work as planned but evacuation efforts will continue Thursday morning.
“Due to the lack of control over their own military on the ground, the occupiers were unable to ensure a proper ceasefire,” Vereshchuk said in a statement.
There also wasn’t “timely transportation of people to the point where dozens of our buses and ambulances were waiting,” Vereshchuk said.
(CHICAGO) — Chicago’s top prosecutor announced Wednesday that her office completed its Cannabis Expungement Project with over 15,000 cannabis convictions removed from the record.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said that her office has complied with Illinois’ new cannabis rules that took effect two years ago after the substance was legalized.
Foxx said in a statement that the expunges have brought relief to thousands of people.
“Felony charges can affect every aspect of a person’s life, from jobs to housing, long after the debt to society has been paid,” she said in a statement.
Foxx filed her first 100 motions to vacate cannabis related offenses in December 2019 and has presented more motions since.
On Friday, she will present 214 additional cannabis expungement requests, bringing the total to 15,191, according to her office.
There are 588 remaining cannabis cases in the system that date back as far as 1965, however, the state attorney’s office said it will require additional time for research and data to expunge those records.
