Some 200 forced to leave courtroom chance outside for murder victim #Nabra pic.twitter.com/j0A8s5lrgD
— Peggy Fox (@PeggyTV) October 13, 2017
22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres is accused of murder, and the family of his alleged victim want to end him. A preliminary hearing in Fairfax, Virginia was put on hold Friday after the mother and father of the late Nabra Hassanen lashed out in court.
#NabraHassanen‘s mom stands & throws shoe at defendent & screams “I will kill you!” 250 in courtroom led out;Hearing temp. stopped @wusa9
— Peggy Fox (@PeggyTV) October 13, 2017
Hearing for murder suspect Darwin Torres temporarily halted. Courtroom cleared after parents’ and friends’ outburst. 5 pulled out. @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/6er6yQnsZ8
— Peggy Fox (@PeggyTV) October 13, 2017
Hassanen’s father lunged at Torres, and screamed “you kill my daughter,” according to WUSA9 reporter Peggy Fox. No injuries have been reported. The victim’s supporters chanted “Justice for Nabra” after they were led out of the courtroom. This can be seen in the video above.
Torres was booked in June for killing Hassanen, who was 17-years-old. Police claim he was driving his car on June 18 when he came across the victim and her friends in Sterling, Virginia. He allegedly got into an argument with one of the boys in the group. Torres is accused of confronting them with a baseball bat, leading the teens to scatter.
Authorities argue that he caught up to Hassanen, beat up with the weapon, put her in his car, beat her again, and dumped her body. The case caught national attention after speculation that this was a hate crime. Hassanen was Muslim. She and her friends were heading back to the All Dulles Area Muslim Society after taking a break from Ramadan prayers. But investigators explained that this was a road rage incident. Religious bigotry was not offered as a motive.
Even if Torres beats the charge of second-degree murder, he may not stay in the country long. Federal authorities say he is an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador.
[Screengrab via Peggy Fox]
