FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — A grand jury Monday indicted the man who is accused of abducting and killing a Muslim teenager after he confronted her while she was walking home from Ramadan services.
Darwin Torres, 22, has been indicted on charges of the abduction with intent to defile, first degree murder, and rape of Nabra Hassanen, 17. Law enforcement had not previously indicated to the public that Torres is accused of rape in this case. Previously, he had only been named as a suspect in her abduction and murder.
Hassanen was abducted in the early hours of June 18, and her remains were discovered in a pond in Sterling later that day.
A friend of Hassanen’s mother told DCW50 that the teen and her friends were walking their bikes from the ADAMS Center mosque to a nearby IHOP on Saturday when her group was reportedly confronted by Torres in what police characterized as a “road rage incident”. Hassanen was then, investigators say, snatched by Torres, who drove away.
“Our investigation at this point in no way indicates the victim was targeted because of her race or religion,” police stated at the time, after speculation that Hassanen had been targeted as a Muslim.
