MURDER USA road rage leads to homicide charge against Darwin Martinez Torres in beating death of Nabra Hassanen

MURDER USA road rage leads to beating death of Reston teenager
Police: evidence in case does not point to hate crime

RESTON, VA. – Fairfax Police report that a man has been charged with murdering a 17-year-old Reston girl who was reported missing on Sunday, June 18, around 4 a.m. near Dranesville Road and Woodson Road, in the Herndon area. An investigation determined she was walking outside with a group of friends when they got into a dispute with a man in a car. It appears the suspect, Darwin A. Martinez Torres, 22, of Sterling, got out of his car and assaulted the victim. Her friends could not find her and police were called to help.

Numerous patrol officers from the Fairfax County Police and Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office immediately began an extensive search. The police helicopter, K-9 teams and search and rescue teams also responded to search for the missing teen, whom officers believed to be injured. While searching, one officer saw a car driving suspiciously in the area and stopped it. The driver, later identified as Martinez Torres, was taken into custody as a suspect.

Around 3 p.m., on June 18, 2017, the remains of a female were found in a pond in the 21500 block of Ridgetop Circle, in Sterling, Va. They later obtained a murder warrant charging Martinez-Torres for her death.

An autopsy on June 19, 2017, revealed the body recovered from a pond in Loudoun County is that of the Reston teenager who went missing early Sunday morning. Police say that the victim has been identified as Nabra Hassanen, 17, of Reston.

The autopsy results show Nabra suffered from blunt force trauma to the upper body after a road rage incident. Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, of Sterling, is charged with her murder.

The group of teens had been attending an overnight event at a mosque, the All Dulles Area Muslim Society or ADAMS Center, and had left to go to a fast food restaurant.

The preliminary investigation reveals at about 3:40 a.m. on Sunday, a group of as many as 15 teenagers was walking and riding bikes on Dranesville Road. The group of teens had been attending an overnight event at a mosque, the All Dulles Area Muslim Society or ADAMS Center, and had left to go to a fast food restaurant.

Torres was able to catch Nabra. His anger over the encounter led to violence when he hit Nabra with a baseball bat.

As they were returning to the mosque, some were on the sidewalk and others were on the road itself.  Detectives believe Torres came upon the teens while he was driving. The investigation reveals a teenaged boy on a bike began arguing with Torres. Torres then drove his car onto the curb as the group scattered. Witnesses say Torres caught up with them a short time later in a nearby parking lot and got out of his car armed with a baseball bat and began chasing the group. Torres was able to catch Nabra. His anger over the encounter led to violence when he hit Nabra with a baseball bat. Torres then took Nabra with him in his car to a second location nearby in Loudoun County.

Patrol officers were notified of the incident and began to investigate. Torres later was taken into custody at about 5:15 a.m. Sunday by a Fairfax County Police Department patrol officer who noticed what he believed to be the involved car. FCPD Underwater Search and Recovery Unit members recovered Nabra’s body from a pond in Loudoun County.

Police: No evidence has been uncovered that shows this murder was motivated by race or religion.

Fairfax Police issued a statement on Monday, June 19, 2017, that said: “there is nothing to indicate at this point this tragic case was a hate crime. No evidence has been uncovered that shows this murder was motivated by race or religion. It appears the suspect became so enraged over the traffic dispute it escalated into deadly violence. If during the course of this ongoing criminal investigation, information or evidence later surfaces that would indicate this was hate-motivated, detectives would certainly ensure appropriate charges are filed.”

Detectives believe Torres acted alone and are not looking for any other suspects in this active case. Torres remains held without bond.

Fairfax Police went further to explain the murder case: “This is a complex criminal investigation and we always strive to only release factual information. We know there was a lot of misinformation circulating, but we ask for your patience as we work diligently to share the facts rather than speculation. We’ve recently learned that this case may be prosecuted in Loudoun County due to elements of the various crimes and where they occurred.”