Why Was Nabra Hassanen Killed?
Was It a Hate Crime or Road Rage?
A 17-year-old Virginia resident named Nabra Hassanen was killed by 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres on Sunday. But talk has now turned to whether the murder was a result of a hate crime or a road rage incident.
Hassanen was apparently with several other teenagers at around 3:40 a.m. when one of them got into an altercation with a driver, identified as Torres. They were coming from an overnight event held at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center. Torres reportedly followed the group to a parking lot and proceeded to pursue them with a baseball bat. Hassanen was struck and then placed inside Torres' car before he drove off.
A Fairfax County police officer was able to track down Torres' vehicle and placed the 22-year-old in custody. On Sunday afternoon, they located Hassanen's body in a pond in Loudoun County.
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"No evidence has been recovered that shows this was a hate crime. Nothing indicates that this was motivated by race or by religion," Fairfax County police spokesperson Julie Parker said (via Fox 5).
Hassanen's father, Mahmoud, does not agree with this statement.
"Yes, that is what I believe. I don't care what the police say," he said, explaining that his daughter was specifically targeted because of her religion. "He killed her, grabbed her with his car and dropped her in a lake close to the mosque."
Raymond Morrogh, Fairfax County Commonwealth's attorney, has said that prosecutors are considering all sides of the situation. They have yet to come to a conclusion about the killer's motive.
The incident has sparked the creation of the hashtag #JusticeForNabra. As a result of her death, vigils are being arranged all over the country, including New York, California and Pennsylvania. One of them will be held today, Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m. EDT at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston, Virginia.
Stay tuned for the latest news and updates.
