FULTON COUNTY, GA — Convicted spa shooter Robert Aaron Long returns to a Fulton County courtroom Monday for a motions hearing in his death penalty case.

Long is already serving four consecutive life sentences, plus 35 years, for the murders of four people and the wounding of a fifth at a Cherokee County spa in 2021.

Fulton County prosecutors are now pursuing the death penalty for the killings of four additional victims at two spas on Piedmont Road.

Defense attorneys are asking the judge to block evidence from the Cherokee County case from being used in the upcoming trial. Other motions under consideration focus on jury selection and Georgia’s lethal injection statute.

Officials say 49-year-old Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 44-year-old Daoyou Feng, 33-year-old Delaina Yaun, and 54-year-old Paul Michels were among the victims at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor in Acworth.

Officials identified the four people killed in Atlanta as 69-year-old Suncha Kim, 74-year-old Soon Chung Park, 51-year-old Hyun Jung Grant, and 63-year-old Yong Ae Yue.

The shooting spree is considered one of the inspirations for the “Stop Asian Hate” movement, a national campaign to end violence against Asian people in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The hearing is expected to last several days as the court weighs the legal arguments.