The murder of Virginia teen Nabra Hassanen is most likely the outcome of a “Road Rage” rather than a hate crime. On Monday, June 19, the Fairfax Police Department clarified the same after 17-year old Hassanen was found dead in a man-made pond. She was murdered by 22-year old Darwin Martinez Torres on Sunday, June 18. The police state that the incident is likely to be a result of road rage and not an outcome of hate toward a particular community.
22-year-old murders teen in Virginia
Virginia resident Hassanen was murdered on June 18 after she had gone out with her friends.
The group of teenagers was out late at night to attend an event at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Sterling, Virginia. The teen along with her friends was on their way back home after visiting a fast-food restaurant when the incident took place. The police stated that the group had as many as 15 teenagers, some of them were walking while others were on their bikes when they encountered 22-year-old Torres.
For some reason, an argument started between Torres and one of the teenagers from the group who was on a bicycle. In a fit of rage, the man drove his car onto the pavement, scattering the group. The teenagers ran away from him but regrouped at a parking lot where they were tracked down by the accused.
According to the police, on the second encounter the accused, chased them by wielding a baseball bat. The police shared that he was able to get hold of Nabra and in rage hit her with the baseball bat.
Teen gets kidnapped and brutally murdered
After Torres attacked Hassanen, he kidnapped her and took her into his car, which he drove to a nearby place in Loudoun County.
Hassanen’s body was discovered almost 11 hours later in a close by the man-made pond in the same area. The autopsy revealed that Nabra was subjected to blunt force trauma on the upper part of her body after being kidnapped. However, the police have not specified the exact cause of her death.
Torres was arrested at 5:15 a.m.
on June 18. Officer Tawny Wright stated that the accused was roaming around the search area in his car and caught the attention of an officer. He was stopped on charges of vehicle violation and was later detained for questioning. He has been accused of murder after Nabra’s body was found.
Was it a hate crime?
Although the police statement maintains that the murder was the result of road rage, there is a chance that hate crime charges could still be filed as the investigation proceeds. Torres has been assigned a public defender for now, but it has been suggested by his aunt that the family may hire a private lawyer of their own.
