US man charged with killing 3 Muslims to face death penalty

[webfact]

Man charged with killing 3 Muslims to face death penalty
MICHAEL BIESECKER, Associated Press
JONATHAN DREW, Associated Press

DURHAM, North Carolina (AP) — The man charged with killing three Muslim college students will face a death penalty trial after prosecutors told a judge they had strong and incriminating evidence that includes the blood from one of the victims found on the accused shooter's pants.

After a brief hearing Monday, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson Jr. ruled that Craig Stephen Hicks is "death penalty qualified."

Hicks, who remained handcuffed throughout the court proceedings, showed no visible emotion as the judge announced his decision. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Feb. 10 killings of 23-year-old Deah Shaddy Barakat; his wife, 21-year-old Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha; and her sister, 19-year-old Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha.

Durham County Assistant District Attorney Jim Dornfried said at the preliminary hearing that Hicks was taken into custody while in possession of a .357-caliber handgun that ballistics testing had matched to the eight shell casings recovered at the victims' apartment. There was also gunshot residue on Hicks' hands.

Police have said Hicks, 46, appeared to have been motivated by a long-running dispute over parking spaces at the condominium complex near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he lived in the same building as dental student Barakat and his wife. Dornfried said Monday that Hicks had revealed details about the killings while under questioning by investigators.

"There were certain issues he described involving parking," Dornfried told the judge. "He went and retrieved a firearm from his residence, then proceeded over to the residence of the victims. ... The door was answered by Deah Barakat. There was a brief interaction, at which time the defendant pulled out his concealed firearm."

Dornfried said Hicks shot Barakat multiple times, then entered the apartment and shot each of the screaming women in the head. He then pumped another slug into Barakat as he left the apartment, the prosecutor said.

After prosecutors asked the judge to approve the death penalty, defense lawyer Terry Alford declined to speak.

The victims' families are adamant that they were targeted because they were Muslims and have pushed for hate-crime charges. They sat in the second row of the courtroom and declined the comment after the hearing.

The FBI is conducting what it has called a "parallel preliminary inquiry" to the homicide investigation to determine whether any federal laws were violated, including hate crime statutes.

Durham District Attorney Roger Echols said after the hearing that he does not anticipate filing additional state charges against Hicks, but that his office is cooperating with the federal inquiry.

To support the death penalty under North Carolina law, prosecutors must show Hicks' alleged crimes had aggravating factors — in this case that one of the murders was committed during a second murder, and that there was an act of violence committed with a second act of violence.

Search warrants listed a dozen firearms recovered from the condo unit Hicks shared with his wife, in addition to the handgun he had with him when he turned himself in after the shootings.

Hicks, who was unemployed and taking community college classes to become a paralegal, posted online that he was an atheist and a staunch advocate of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Neighbors described him as an angry man who had frequent confrontations over parking or loud music, sometimes with a gun holstered at his hip. His social media posts often discussed firearms, including a photo posted of a .38-caliber revolver. He had a state permit allowing him to legally carry a concealed firearm.

Hicks is being held at a state prison in Raleigh pending trial.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-04-07

[Seastallion]

Ok, so the family claim there was an element of hate crime in this, but really, it appears that this was just an angry gun nutter killing people who took his parking spot. The headline is sensationalist in mentioning the victims' religion.

The fact that such an angry 2nd Amendment advocate can get a permit for a concealed weapon raises the question about the wisdom of such permits.

[NE1]

This sensationalism has been appearing in the press and on news broadcasts for a long time.

You never hear of a middle easterner killing 3 christians , or 4 roman catholics etc.

Yet when it is somebody of muslim faith , they always play on it.

[JockPieandBeans]

NC has the Death Penalty.

End of story.

[Daniel Ingalls]

......The word hate crime is never used when blacks go on a rampage of looting and killing white shopkeepers! It's always one sided. This isn't a hate crime but merely a depute over parking spots. This was a senseless killing, where the death penalty is justifiable. As a taxpayer, I sure do not want to pay for his room and board for the rest of his life. We have to many in prison for life as it is.

[wwest5829]

Ok, so the family claim there was an element of hate crime in this, but really, it appears that this was just an angry gun nutter killing people who took his parking spot. The headline is sensationalist in mentioning the victims' religion.

The fact that such an angry 2nd Amendment advocate can get a permit for a concealed weapon raises the question about the wisdom of such permits.

Yes, I agree that from what has been presented so far it appears that the issue was parking and a fellow who should not have been given a permit. Don't get me wrong, I also hold a Concealed Deadly Weapon License. But this idea that we cannot have tighter gun regulation in the U.S. smacks at reason, no matter what the NRA declares. I do think the federal investigation should also continue in order to clear that aspect of the possibilities.

[wwest5829]

......The word hate crime is never used when blacks go on a rampage of looting and killing white shopkeepers! It's always one sided. This isn't a hate crime but merely a depute over parking spots. This was a senseless killing, where the death penalty is justifiable. As a taxpayer, I sure do not want to pay for his room and board for the rest of his life. We have to many in prison for life as it is.

But, but what about my private industry investment in prisons? Just egging you on, I agree that we have too many in prison. I would like a closer look at mandatory sentencing and previous demands for longer prison terms. We lock up more of our population per capita than quite a few " democracies", I think that points to some problem. As to "hate crime" what is the legal definition which must be met?

Edited April 7, 2015 by wwest5829

[Linky]

Can his life be speared and exchange for some Gitmo Al Qaeda top commodores

like they did for the life and freedom of the US army deserter and traitor Birdauhll?

Couldn't even consider that until the gitmo prisoners get a trial.

Or even charged.

[manstr23]

......The word hate crime is never used when blacks go on a rampage of looting and killing white shopkeepers! It's always one sided. This isn't a hate crime but merely a depute over parking spots. This was a senseless killing, where the death penalty is justifiable. As a taxpayer, I sure do not want to pay for his room and board for the rest of his life. We have to many in prison for life as it is.

You may like to do some resurge on the cost of keeping a convict in prison for life or sent him to his death in the USA. Some are on death row for 10 to 20 years, with appeal after appeal.

[bunple]

Sounds like the family are playing the race/religion card.

[copa8]

......The word hate crime is never used when blacks go on a rampage of looting and killing white shopkeepers! It's always one sided.

True dat.

I remember awhile back here there where a few killings/murders of Asian deliveryman by blacks. They would make an order from a takeout place, then ambush the deliveryman. No mention of hate crimes by the media and prosecutors, since the perps were black.

[Jingthing]

Their religion/ethnicity as Palestinian Arab Muslims was most certainly relevant as the family did accuse a hate crime and there was enough evidence for the charge to be seriously considered. So news outlets would have been incompetent not to mention it.

As far as the death penalty vs. lifetime incarceration, it's surprising to me that people don't already know in the U.S. it is much more expensive to execute prisoners than take care of them for life. Doesn't make sense? Perhaps not. But cost savings is NOT a rationale for the death penalty in the U.S.

In general I am opposed to the death penalty but my resolve melts away in the more extreme cases of murder and mass murder. In this case, not sure, the man sounds insane.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Jingthing