U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on a 22-year-old illegal immigrant who stands accused of killing a 17-year-old Muslim girl in Virginia:
The suspect, Darwin A. Martinez Torres, was arrested on Sunday in the death of Nabra Hassanen, a high school student from Reston, Va. Police say he beat Hassanen with a metal baseball bat in what is being described as a road rage incident.
UPDATE: Suspect in Herndon missing teen investigation taken to jail. Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, of Sterling, has been charged with murder. pic.twitter.com/JGBxXmdqUf
— Fairfax Co. Police (@fairfaxpolice) June 18, 2017
In a press conference Monday, Fairfax County Police Director of Media Relations Julie Parker said the attack occurred around 3:40 a.m. Sunday as Hassanan and a group of friends walked from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) center to a nearby IHOP after attending an all-night prayer session for Ramadan. Torres reportedly drove up to the group of teens when an argument ensued:
Parker said detectives believe the suspect drove up to the teens when a male teen on a bike started arguing with him.
The suspect, who has been identified as Darwin Martinez Torres, then drove up on a curb and the group of teens ran, said Parker. She added that detectives believe Torrres became enraged from the argument when he got out of his car and began chasing the group with a bat. He caught Hassanen and hit her with the bat before taking her in his car to a second unidentified location in Loudon County, said Parker.
By all accounts, it seems that this was a horrific crime of passion rather than one motivated by hate. But when the media first reported Hassanan’s murder, liberals were quick to jump to conclusions:
Every person who spreads #Islamophobia is partially to blame for this. #NabraHassanen https://t.co/9jBbb3ZFlo
— Sojourner Blanc (@sojourner_blanc) June 19, 2017
rest in peace #nabrahassanen …i am deeply saddened & I pray the world wakes up & realizes we r all human & islam is a peaceful religion
— Nimra Tariq (@_nimratariq) June 19, 2017
We need strong leaders in this country condemning hate crimes or we need new leaders who will #NabraHassanen https://t.co/Of6gpdNiZE
— Paul Shread (@paulshread) June 19, 2017
If 17 year old Nabra Hassanen were named “Natalee Hansen” and got snatched off the street & beaten to death you’d see Trump tweet so fast…
— Plot Twist (@EmoNegro1) June 19, 2017
i’m tired of seeing shit happen to innocent people like #Nabra because of terrorist bigots. rest in peace, Nabra Hassanen.
— c. morris ✨ (@claymorris_) June 19, 2017
Our hearts ache for the loved ones of Nabra Hassanen, victim of unspeakable violence. We must turn back the hate & rise to higher ground.
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) June 19, 2017
Despite what Twitter believes, however, Fairfax County Police have ruled out hate-bias as a motive for the murder:
“Based on the information our detectives have at this point, there is no indication that this was a hate-bias motivated-related crime,” police said. “If that changes as the investigation progresses, we would certainly pursue that aspect.”
Further, ICE confirmed Monday that Torres is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador:
“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,” ICE spokesperson Carissa Cutrell told TheDC.
The murder of Nabra Hassanan looks very much like Kate Steinle’s where an illegal immigrant who should have never been in this country took an innocent life.
Do you think Darwin Martinez Torres should be deported? Share your thoughts below!
