Slain Muslim teen walking to Virginia mosque was also raped: Indictment
The brutal murder of a teenage Muslim girl in the US state of Virginia has turned into a capital murder and rape case.
Monday’s indictment includes capital murder and rape charges and will allow prosecutors to pursue a death-penalty case against Darwin Martinez Torres, 22.
Martinez is charged with the murder of Nabra Hassanen, whose death sparked outrage among Muslim communities across the country.
Before Monday’s indictment, police said the killing was being investigated as a road rage incident. But Nabra's father rejected the police theory and said his daughter was attacked because she was Muslim.
More than 200 supporters wearing "Justice for Nabra" T-shirts showed up at a preliminary hearing of Toress on Friday.
According to Virginia law, prosecutors are allowed to pursue a death penalty case only under certain conditions, including murder in the commission of a rape and murder during an abduction with intent to defile.
The seven-count indictment handed up Monday actually includes four counts of capital murder, with occasionally graphic detail on the ways in which prosecutors believe the slaying qualifies for the death penalty.
A Muslim civil rights group which is called the Council on American-Islamic Relations is representing the Nabra’s family. The group's lawyer Gadeir Abbas said the family "is focused on ensuring that there is justice for Nabra and that the murderer is held accountable for his crimes. This tragedy has affected the family, but also the Muslim community across the country, coming as it did during Ramadan when the kids were gathering at the mosque to socialize and for prayer."
Nabra, 17, was kidnapped from near a mosque in northern Virginia and repeatedly hit with a baseball bat by Torres in June. Nabra died from blunt force trauma to the upper body.
The girl was walking with friends when she was attacked and beaten to death. Her body was later found in Sterling area, outside Washington with signs of beating.
Social media soon flooded with shock and resentment, with Muslims calling on authorities to investigate the murder as a hate crime.
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