'No Evidence' Nabra Hassanen's Killer Is A Gang Member: Police

RESTON, VA — Despite a recent Washington Post report suggesting that Nabra Hassanen's accused murderer is a gang member, Fairfax County Police say they've found no evidence to support the assertion.

The Post report stated that Martinez Torres had punched, choked, and sexually assaulted a woman about a week before he killed the 17-year-old Hassanen, the Muslim Reston teen who was walking near her mosque with her friends when she was attacked earlier this month. He was a "member of the MS-13 street gang," the report adds, quoting two people familiar with the previous assault allegation.

However, Fairfax County Police recent put out a statement noting that there was no evidence to support that Martinez Torres was in any kind of gang.

"Homicide detectives investigating the murder of 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen looked into whether the suspect, Darwin Martinez Torres, is a gang member or affiliated with gangs, but have found no credible information to support any connection," the statement reads. "The case remains active and we will release additional information as we can. Martinez Torres remains at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center."

Police say Martinez Torres killed Hassanen with a baseball bat in a road rage incident, although friends and family still suspect it was an act of anti-Muslim hate.

Image via FCPD