The “religious obsession” and the feeling of guilt over his sexual impulses could influence the Atlanta killer

The 21-year-old man who confessed to being the perpetrator of the shootings at spa businesses in Atlanta, Georgia, suffered from a "religious mania" that marked his life before the crime, according to people who knew him.

Eight people died Tuesday as a result of the shooting. 

The young man, who has been accused of murder, grew up in a conservative Baptist community, which could fuel an obsessive feeling of guilt

 about sex

, according to investigators and witnesses cited by The New York Times.

In his statements to the police, he affirmed that the murders were motivated by his "addiction to sex", which he added promoted the spa businesses of which he was a client and that he ended up attacking. 

Until now, the authorities have not reported if the attacked businesses provided sexual services, or if the man went to any of them to seek something other than a massage, with or without success.

[Sexual violence and exploitation of immigrants: behind the crime in Atlanta spas there is more than racism and misogyny]

Since his church forbids premarital sex, the man was frustrated by his inability to control his sexual urges and displayed a "religious obsession," said Tyler Bayless, who was his roommate at a

rehab center

in August. of 2019.

It is not clear if the alleged murderer came to that center for his declared addiction to sex, or if he was there for an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

It is also not known if he really suffered from a pathological addiction to sex, or perceived as such impulses that could be natural.

According to Bayless, Long went to a massage parlor once a month to seek sexual services.

Authorities have said he was a customer of two spa businesses attacked, but did not specify whether he was looking for more than a massage there.  

In early 2020, Long entered HopeQuest Christian Rehabilitation Center for more intense treatment of his alleged problems.

Asian American Community Demands that Atlanta Massacre Be Recognized as a Hate Crime

March 18, 202102: 01

After the crime, the Baptist church that Long attended said in a statement that it does not preach hatred against women or Asian-American people.

"We watched Aaron grow up and accepted him as a member of the church when he made his own profession of faith in Jesus Christ," Crabapple First Baptist Church said, "These unthinkable and heinous murders directly contradict his own confession of faith in Jesus and the gospel. We want to make it clear that this extreme and wicked act is nothing less than a rebellion against our Holy God and His Word. "

However, in his statement he also condemned the "wishes" of the young man, allegedly sexual, and made unconfirmed statements against the victims of the shooting.

["They have shooted me".

This Latino called his wife for help before he passed out]

Authorities are still investigating whether the crime was motivated by racist hatred for women of Asian descent.

Various experts and activists assure that racism and sexism are intermingled factors that fuel the increase in attacks against women in this community.

The defendant is white. 

This Friday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with leaders of the Asian American community in Atlanta.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the increase in attacks and threats against the community.

For their part, Asian-American lawmakers in Georgia and Washington held press conferences to share their personal stories of discrimination and violence.

State Representative Bee Nguyen said the killings highlighted "the vulnerability, invisibility, and isolation of working-class Asian women in our country."

"And we know that vulnerability makes them targets," he added. 

With information from

The New York Times

.