Death Penalty Sought In Reston Girl's Killing: Report

An El Salvadoran man accused of savagely beating a Reston girl to death this summer could face the death penalty, according to a report.

Darwin Martinez Torres of Sterling, a 22-year-old native of El Salvador, is accused of getting into a dispute with 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen and her friends as they were walking back to their mosque one evening in June in the Herndon area, prompting him to get a baseball bat and beat Hassanen to death before dumping her body in a pond, authorities say.

NBC 4 reporter Julie Carey reports that the Commonwealth's Attorney will pursue the death penalty against Martinez Torres for the rape and murder of Hassanen.

Carey reports that the last time the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney won a death penalty sentence was five years ago.

Read more: Murder Of Nabra Hassanen: What You Need To Know

Hassanen's death sparked shock and outrage nationwide because she was a Muslim, and many assumed she had been targeted for her religion. However, police say they don't believe her religion had anything to do with the attack, and this was a case of road rage taken to the extreme. Her family doesn't accept that explanation, however.

#BREAKING: Commonwealth's Attny will pursue the death penalty against Darwin Martinez Torres in the alleged rape & murder of teen girl 1/2 pic.twitter.com/we7F3RbZUs
— Julie Carey (@JulieCareyNBC) October 16, 2017

Image via Fairfax County Police