Virginia: Prosecutors to pursue death penalty against man accused of killing Nabra Hassanen

Fairfax County prosecutors will pursue the death penalty against the man accused in the high-profile killing of a 17-year-old Muslim girl, who was abducted as she walked to her mosque over the summer, authorities said.

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond F. Morrogh (D) made the announcement Monday after a Fairfax County grand jury returned an eight-count indictment against 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres for capital murder, rape and other charges in connection with the slaying of Nabra Hassanen of Reston, Va.

“You conform the charges to what the evidence will show,” Morrogh said. “It is my intention to seek the death penalty.”

Morrogh declined to discuss the evidence that led to the indictments since the case is pending, but it was the first time that authorities indicated that they believed Nabra was sexually assaulted in the June 18 attack.

In addition to the rape charge, Torres is accused of abducting Nabra with intent to defile and object sexual penetration.

Fairfax County’s chief public defender, Dawn Butorac, who is representing Torres, declined to comment. Nabra’s family also did not immediately return a phone call.

Nabra’s killing sparked vigils from coast to coast and spurred concerns that she was targeted because of her faith. Police and prosecutors have said they turned up no evidence that her slaying was a hate crime.

A week before Nabra’s killing, a woman reported to Loudoun County authorities that Torres had sexually assaulted her, said people familiar with the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity. But she ultimately declined to pursue charges.

A Fairfax County judge is scheduled to set a trial date for Torres on Thursday.

Torres’s trial will be the first death penalty case in Fairfax County since 2011, when a Fairfax County jury convicted Mark E. Lawlor of bludgeoning Genevieve Orange to death in her apartment in the Seven Corners area in 2008.

Prince William County prosecutors are pursuing a capital murder case against Ronald W. Hamilton, a Pentagon information technology specialist accused in 2016 of fatally shooting his wife during an incident at their Woodbridge home and then killing a responding rookie police officer.

Source: The Washington Post, Justin Jouvenal, October 16, 2017

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