Was a Muslim Teen From Virginia Murdered by an Illegal Alien?

With Islamist terror attacks as well as anti-muslim reprisals in the news it is easy to understand that the murder of a teenaged muslim girl in Virginia might at first appear to be a religiously based hate crime. The murder of Nabra Hassanen doesn’t appear to be explained that easily though. It’s a case that seems to pit “social justice” causes against one another.

Advertisement

A man has been charged with murder after police say he killed a 17-year-old Reston girl whose body was found in a pond hours after being reported missing during an early morning incident in Virginia.

Fairfax County Police say the victim, Nabra Hassanen, was with a group of teenagers of about 15 people walking and riding their bikes along Dranesville Road from a McDonald’s restaurant at around 3:40 a.m. Sunday. The group got involved in a dispute with the driver of a vehicle after they attended an overnight event at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center.

Police say a teenage boy got into an argument with the driver, identified as 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres. He ended up driving his car onto the curb as the group scattered. Witnesses say Torres caught up with them later at a nearby parking lot and got out of his vehicle, chasing them with a baseball bat.

According to police, Torres struck Hassanen with the bat. Torres then put her into his car and took her to another location in Loudoun County.

Torres was later taken into custody by a Fairfax County police officer at around 5:15 a.m. after he located Torres’ vehicle.

Officers continued to search the area for Hassanen, who was still missing. At around 3 p.m. Sunday, her body was found in a pond in the 21500 block of Ridgetop Circle in Sterling in Loudoun County.

Torres was then charged with her murder. The 22-year-old suspect appeared in court on Monday for his arraignment

Advertisement

It’s a terrible crime, but sadly not a particularly rare one. Nabra’s father thinks otherwise but the police say that they have no evidence that would cause them to think the murder was motivated by religion. Some who would politicize a case like this usually don’t care whether there is evidence of a hate crime.

The immigration status of Torres adds a different wrinkle to the case. ICE has lodged a detainer on Torres which suggests that they think he is in the country illegally.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement regarding Torres:

“On June 19, ICE lodged a detainer on Darwin Martinez Torres, a citizen and national of El Salvador, with the Adult Detention Center in Fairfax, Virginia. ICE lodges detainers on aliens who have been arrested on local criminal charges when the agency has probable cause to believe an alien is removable from the United States. Mr. Martinez Torres has no prior encounters with ICE.”

Advertisement

For those who see everything through the lens of identity politics, this case must be rather confusing.

Recommended

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on RedState Videos