Atlanta spa shooter pleads guilty

Washington: The man accused of killing eight people at a string of Atlanta-area spas pleaded guilty on Tuesday to four murder charges, ensuring he will spend the rest of his life in prison, local media reported.

A judge in Cherokee County, Georgia where one of the spas was located, sentenced Robert Aaron Long to four life sentences without parole, plus 35 years, based on a plea deal that spared the 22-year-old from the death penalty, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

However Long could still face capital punishment for the killing of four other victims in Fulton County, where Atlanta is located, with the district attorney saying she will seek the death penalty as well as an enhanced sentence for hate crimes. Defense lawyer Daran Burns had urged the Cherokee County judge to accept the plea deal, saying Long understands "the gravity of his actions," according to the paper.