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Man Sentenced to Life for Murder of Muslim Teen
A man has been sentenced to life in prison for raping and killing a Muslim teenager as she walked back to a mosque with friends for pre-dawn religious services.
The life sentence without possibility of parole imposed Thursday on Darwin Martinez-Torres of Sterling was a formality after his guilty plea last year in the June 2017 slaying of 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen of Reston. That plea bargain required a life sentence but eliminated a potential death penalty.
Hassanen's death received widespread attention amid concerns her slaying was motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment. But prosecutors say Martinez-Torres attacked her after he got out of his car to chase Nabra's group of friends in a road-rage confrontation.
Martinez-Torres is an El Salvador native; immigration authorities say he was in the country illegally.
