Crime & Safety

ICYMI: Murder Of Nabra Hassanen: What You Need To Know

The 17-year-old Muslim girl from Reston was brutally murdered early Sunday morning, police say.

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Editor's note: This article was originally published earlier this week.

RESTON, VA — Police have arrested a Sterling man accused of killing a 17-year-old Muslim girl from Reston on Sunday as she was walking with friends near her mosque. The story erupted due to the increasingly hostile rhetoric against Muslims in the United States.

But what are the facts about this case, and what is just speculation?

Find out what's happening in Restonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Who is she?

Nabra Hassanen was a Muslim teen who lived in Reston and attended South Lakes High School. Her mother, Sawsan Gazzar, is a native of Egypt, and Nabra is the oldest of four daughters, according to a report from the Washington Post.

Find out what's happening in Restonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Hassanen's remains were found in a pond in the 21500 block of Ridgetop Circle in Sterling, not far from where she had been reported missing at around 4 a.m. Sunday near Dranesville and Woodson roads in Herndon.

Police say she had been walking there with her friends when they "got into a dispute with a man in a car." All of the teens except Hassanen fled to the nearby mosque they attended, reporting to the authorities that she had been assaulted and prompting an extensive search of the area by police.

BuzzFeed News reports that the group of teens she was walking with taunted Martinez Torres before the attack. However, a different account described in the article suggests that he followed the group when they left McDonald's.

UPDATE 1:31 p.m. Tuesday: A vigil in memory of Hassanen will be held in Dupont Circle Tuesday night.

Who is the man accused of murdering her?

Police arrested 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres of Sterling. After the assault, someone spotted him driving suspiciously in the area, and authorities soon arrested him.

Not much is known about Martinez Torres yet, but reports indicate that he is from El Salvador and apparently doesn't speak English, or at least not very well. The Post reports that he spoke through a Spanish translator to answer a judge's questions during his brief arraignment Monday in Fairfax County juvenile court. His next court appearance is set for July 19.

The Post also reported that Martinez Torres used a metal bat to assault Hassanen, based on information from her mother. UPDATE 9:47 a.m. Tuesday: Police said at a Monday evening press conference that they believe Marintez Torres hit Hassanen with a baseball bat and then took her with him in his car to a second location, where he assaulted her a second time and then dumped her body, returning to the scene of the altercation where a patrolling officer spotted him about an hour and a half after the argument first started.

UPDATE 6:08 p.m. Monday: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gotten involved in the case. "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."

Where did it happen?

The area where the assault happened is a quiet neighborhood just off the bustling Route 7 corridor near the border between Loudoun and Fairfax counties. Booming development in Sterling and Reston have led to a tremendous influx of families into the area in recent years wanting to settle down in an area that continues to add jobs. It's an area where teens like Hassanen felt safe walking around with their friends, which is why the killing was so shocking to the community.

Why was she out and about so early in the morning?

We are currently in the midst of Ramadan, a month-long period of fasting in the Islamic tradition when Muslims refrain from eating or drinking from sunrise until sunset. Hassanen and many teens like her in the area reportedly enjoy hanging out at an IHOP or McDonald's near their mosque early in the morning to eat before the day's fasting begins at sunrise. When Martinez Torres reportedly confronted Hassanen, she had been walking with her friends after going to one of those restaurants.

What mosque did she go to?

The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), located on Sugarland Road in Sterling near where the confrontation happened, describes itself as being an "Islamic center that is open and inviting to both men and women, young and old, and visitors of other faiths," according to its website. The ADAMS Center also says it is "committed to providing all of its attendees with a safe and welcoming environment to worship, learn, socialize, and serve the center and the greater community."

The ADAMS Center released a statement after Hassanen's death, saying mosque leadership was "devastated and heartbroken" over the incident.

"It is a time for us to come together to pray and care for our youth," the statement reads. "ADAMS has licensed counselors on site to assist anyone in need of counseling during these difficult times. We would also like to thank our community, government officials and interfaith partners for their prayers and support during these tough times."

Is this a hate crime?

The Fairfax County Police Department tweeted that they were not investigating this as a hate crime. Later, they issued an update stating that they believe road rage, not her religion, motivated the attack.

Before that update, BuzzFeed News quoted police spokesperson Don Gotthardt as saying that the investigation wasn't "as definitive" as the tweet made it seem and that the tweet could have been "crafted a little better," suggesting that police are still open to the possibility of treating this as a hate crime.

While police said they were not investigating it as a hate crime, they initially did not elaborate. That drew criticism from some area residents, and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond Morrogh told WTOP that although police may have been trying to alleviate worried residents, it's too early to say what the motivation was behind the fatal assault.

“I always try to wait until all the evidence is in,” Morrogh told the news station. “It’s still early in the investigation — who knows what will come in.”

What is the family saying?

The family was devastated by the news, with the Post reporting that her mother was weeping and in contact with relatives in her native Egypt.

"Please pray for me, please pray for me," Sawsan Gazzar said in Arabic at her apartment while surrounded by more than 30 women in Muslim garb, according to the Post. "Pray for me that I can handle this . . . I lost my daughter, my first reason for happiness."

What are high-profile individuals saying?

News of the teen's slaying spread fast on social media, with several influential individuals weighing in.

What's next for the investigation?

While police are confident that the remains are Hassanen's, they are awaiting for an autopsy to confirm the identification. UPDATE 6:32 p.m. Monday: Police have confirmed via the autopsy that the body is Hassanen's, and that she died from blunt force trauma.

"Detectives and Victim Services Specialists are have been in close communication with the family throughout this investigation and will continue to provide assistance, as needed," the report from Fairfax County Police states. "The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office provided invaluable resources and assistance and we will continue to work closely with them as the case develops."

Main image of Hassanen's locker at South Lakes High School courtesy Kahlil Dover

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