Atlanta Spa Killings: Hate Crime or Sex Addiction?
March 18, 2021
On Tuesday, a gunman killed eight people at three massage parlors in or near Atlanta. Six of the victims were of Asian descent, prompting widespread concern that the killings could be the latest surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
But the gunman told investigators the killings were the result of a “sexual addiction”
On Wednesday, police charged Robert Aaron Long, 21, with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault stemming from the shootings.
He is due in court today as police continue to investigate the motive for the crime and whether it was racially motivated.
Long claims he was driven by his sex addiction and the spas were a temptation he wanted to eliminate.
But the public isn’t buying it, saying the slayings were clearly racially motived. In response, there has been an outpouring of celebrity support for Asian Americans across the country.
A new study based on police department statistics across major cities found a nearly 150 percent surge in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic – while overall hate crimes fell by 7 percent. Dallas is among the cities included in this study.
Georgia passed a hate crime bill last year that enhances the punishment for people convicted of a hate crime.
Denying hate as a motive for the attack is unlikely to spare Long any punishment since he already faces the possibility of the death penalty.
Georgia is among 28 states that still carry out capital punishment.
To be sure, if Long had carried out the alleged murders in Texas, he would be charged with capital murder – which is punishable by life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
In Texas, a person commits capital murder if he or she kills more than one person in the same criminal transaction or the same scheme.
Whether Georgia prosecutors will prosecute the killings as a hate crime or seek the death penalty in this case remains to be seen.
There’s a lot on the table.
Groping is a Crime in Texas that Carries Jail Time
March 17, 2021
By now, everyone has heard about the groping allegations against New York Governor Anthony Cuomo. So far, he has avoided arrest and criminal charges in New York.
But if Gov. Cuomo were in Texas, he may not fare so well. Did you know groping is a crime in the Lone Star State that carries jail time?
Seven women have now come forward claiming that Governor Cuomo touched them inappropriately or sexually harassed them. One former aid accused him of groping her under her shirt in the governor’s mansion.
The allegations are being investigated in New York and many people are calling for the Governor to resign.
This begs a question: What would happen if those types of groping allegations were made against a public figure or anyone in Texas?
Texas has a relatively new law on the books that punishes groping. In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed a new law titled “indecent assault,” which made groping or inappropriate sexual contact a Class A misdemeanor.
A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in county jail and a maximum $4000 fine.
Essentially, this law covers inappropriate sexual contact, such as pinching someone’s rear or grabbing their breast – actions that many consider sexual harassment.
It’s important to point out that, in order for the actions to be criminal in Texas, the alleged touching must have been non-consensual and the offender’s intent must have been to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of themselves or the other person.
So how common is this charge? Since 2019, at least 87 people have been arrested for indecent assault in Fort Worth.
In the grand scheme of things, it is a relatively rare charge.
Still, it’s one that is on the books in Texas.
