Teen's Death Will Not Be Investigated as Hate Crime: Police - NBC4 Washington

Police say the death of a teenage girl who was assaulted and killed as she walked with friends to her mosque in Fairfax County, Virginia, will not be investigated as a hate crime.

Police have not released the name of the 17-year-old victim, but the man accused in her death appeared in court for the first time Monday.

Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, of Sterling has been charged with murder, and a judge ordered Monday that he be held without bond. On the same day as Torres' bond hearing, police announced they would not be investigating the girl's death as a hate crime.

Police found the victim's body Sunday afternoon in a pond in the 21500 block of Ridgetop Circle in Sterling, Virginia. Police have not released the teen's name, but a close family friend told News4 her name was Nabra.

Police Believe Missing Teen Found Dead in Fairfax County

Nabra and her friends were headed to an all-night prayer session at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center after getting food when they got into a dispute with a man in a car. The man got out of his car, assaulted the victim and she became separated from her friends.

At some point, residents in the area came across the group of friends and directed them to the mosque, where Nabra was reported missing, the mosque said in a statement Sunday night.

"Immediately thereafter, the ADAMS' personnel notified both Loudoun County and Fairfax County authorities who immediately began an extensive search to locate the missing girl," the statement said.

Officers started searching for the girl about 4 a.m. Sunday in the area of Dranesville Road and Woodson Drive in Herndon, Fairfax County Officer Tawny Wright said in a news conference Sunday evening.

Police searched a wooded area near Dranesville Road and Woodson Drive area in Herndon, Virginia, for several hours. Loudoun County authorities also helped in the investigation because the area borders the county.

During the search, an officer saw a car driving suspiciously in the area and pulled the driver over before taking him into custody.

Police discovered a female body in the pond about 3 p.m. The pond is 2 to 3 miles away from the original altercation happened, Wright said.

Police said a baseball bat was recovered. The exact location where it was found is not known at this time.

"At this point, there doesn't seem to be indication this was a bias incident. It looks like they got into a dispute over something," a police spokeswoman said Sunday.

"I just can't think of a worse instance to occur with the loss of a 17-year-old on Father's Day. As a father of a 17-year-old myself, I can't think of anything worse than confronting that on this particular day," Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman said at the news conference.

Torres' next hearing is scheduled for July 19.

Published 2 hours ago

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