Chapel Hill Shooting: 3 Muslim Students Dead Because Of Faith?

A Muslim family of three were found dead in their home in North Carolina on Wednesday, February 11, 2015. The victims' family believes that it is a hate-crime due to the victims' religious orientation. The police have yet to prove the family's suspicion. 

Dentistry student, Deah Shaddy, was found dead in his home along with his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha. According to The Independent, the police were called to the apartment block where Shaddy, Yusor and Razan were found dead around 5:11 PM. The victims were found with single shots fired at their heads. 

Overnight, suspect Craig Stephen Hicks turned himself in at the Catham County cheriff's office for the murders, reports The Washington Post. Hicks has since been arrested for three counts of first-degree murder. District Judge Marcia Morey stated that the suspect will be appointed a public defender and held without bail until his March 4 hearing.  

Most reports state that the police believe the crime was motivated by an ongoing dispute over a parking spot. However, family members of the victims, specfically the girls' father, suspect it was a hate crime. 

Dr. Mohammad Abu-Salha, Yusor and Razan's father, told the NewsObserver in Raleigh, "It was execution style, a bullet in every head. This was not a dispute over a parking space; this was a hate crime. This man had picked on my daughter and her husband a couple of times before. And he talked with them with his gun in his belt. And they were uncomfortable with him, but they did not know he would go this far." 

Dr. Abu-Salha also told CNN that when his daughter moved into the condominium complex with Deah Shaddy, trouble had started. When Shaddy was living alone there were no problems. He further explained that the trouble began due to his daughter wearing a headscarf which identified her as Muslim. In addition, The Independent states that Hicks had anti-religious posts on his facebook. 

The suspect's wife, Karen Hicks, states that the incident was not a hate crime and did not have anything to do with religion. Karen was supposedly shocked at hearing about her husband's involvment in the murders, according to News Week. Karen describes her husband as a "champion for people's rights." She also went on to add that he believed everyone was equal.  

Karen and the suspect were currently going through a divorce. Karen's attorney, Rob Maitland, suggested that her husband was mentally unstable, according to CNN. Maitland said that the shootings "highlight the importance of access to mental health care services." However, there have been no reports of the suspect's mental health history.  

Currently, The Council on American-Islamic Relations has urged the police to address possibilities that the incident was a hate crime, says CNN. The Washington Post reports that the Chief of Police at Chapel Hill, Chris Blue had said, "Our investigators are exploring what could have motivated Mr. Hicks to commit such a senseless and tragic act. We understand the concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated and we will exhaust every lead to determine if that is the case."