There is a horrible triple murder being investigated this morning in North Carolina where three people from a Muslim family were allegedly murdered by Craig Stephen Hicks, 46. Some are speculating that Hicks’ strong atheist views may have been a factor after reading this “anti-theist” positions on the Internet. He has been described in some media account as a “radical atheist” though atheists have rarely engaged in violent acts against religious persons. UPDATE: Police have said that the dispute was not religiously motivated but a dispute over a parking space.
All three victims are from the same family and identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19. From all accounts, the family was the epitome of a hard-working and successful American family. Barakat was a dental student at the University of North Carolina was a volunteer giving free dental care to Palestinian children. He also helped provide free dental supplies to 75 homeless people in downtown Durham. The recently married couple also organized a fundraiser to raise money for dental care for refugees from Syria. Barakat was going to travel to Turkey to help treat child refugees. His sister-in-law Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha had been studying for a degree at North Carolina State University in Architecture and Environmental Design.
All three were shot in the head.
Hicks posted anti-religious positions on the Internet and asked “why radical Christians and radical Muslims are so opposed to each others’ influence when they agree about so many ideological issues”? His page suggests that he is paralegal at Durham Technical Community College. He reported turned himself in.
News organizations have been focusing on Hicks’ anti-religious statements on the Internet as well as his photograph of a gun. However, anti-religious sentiments do not naturally lead to gunning down family’s of religious people (any more than stated religious beliefs or anti-atheist views naturally leads to killing atheists or agnostics). That does not mean that this was not a motivation in this case but we have little information at this point. Update: The police said that they have evidence of a long-standing parking space dispute.
Nothing is known of any prior interaction or mental disorders on the part of Hicks. Hicks also posted less threatening images, including photos with his wife.
Atheist leaders immediately condemned the murders. The numerous articles focusing on Hicks’ reported atheist views show no specific connection to this family or advocacy of anti-religious violence. However, it creates the possibility of a crime motivated by religious hostilities and is presumably being investigated as a possible hate crime. In the end, the classification of the murders as a hate crime are unlikely to materially affect the prosecution in the case if Hicks confessed to the murders. The question remains an insanity defense. As previously discussed, the insanity defense has been substantially curtailed in this country. I believe that North Carolina uses the M’Naghten Rule with the burden of proof on the defendant. The test is generally defined as meaning “the defendant was laboring under such a defect of reason from disease or deficiency of mind at the time of the alleged act as to be (1) incapable of knowing the nature and quality of his act, or (2) incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong with respect to such act.” State v. Mancuso, 364 S.E.2d 359 (1988) (relying on State v. Evangelista, 319 N.C. 152, 353 S.E.2d 375 (1987)).
Once invoked, the state can press for an examination, though it is often ordered by the Court sua sponte.
(a) If a defendant intends to raise the defense of insanity, the defendant must file a notice of the defendant’s intention to rely on the defense of insanity as provided in G.S. 15A-905(c) and, if the case is not subject to that section, within a reasonable time prior to trial. The court may for cause shown allow late filing of the notice or grant additional time to the parties to prepare for trial or make other appropriate orders.
(b) In cases not subject to the requirements of G.S. 15A-905(c), if a defendant intends to introduce expert testimony relating to a mental disease, defect, or other condition bearing upon the issue of whether the defendant had the mental state required for the offense charged, the defendant must within a reasonable time prior to trial file a notice of that intention. The court may for cause shown allow late filing of the notice or grant additional time to the parties to prepare for trial or make other appropriate orders.
(c) Upon motion of the defendant and with the consent of the State the court may conduct a hearing prior to the trial with regard to the defense of insanity at the time of the offense. If the court determines that the defendant has a valid defense of insanity with regard to any criminal charge, it may dismiss that charge, with prejudice, upon making a finding to that effect. The court’s denial of relief under this subsection is without prejudice to the defendant’s right to rely on the defense at trial. If the motion is denied, no reference to the hearing may be made at the trial, and recorded testimony or evidence taken at the hearing is not admissible as evidence at the trial. (1973, c. 1286, s. 1; 1977, c. 711, s. 25; 2004-154, s. 10.)
SOURCE: NBC
Hi ya, Nick.
Nice to see the head of the hall monitors here.
Edward, Unfortunately, we won’t have to wait long for the “yeah buts” from that one. Good to see your Domer observations here.
old nurse, Thanks. It’s nice to have a real nurse w/ good sense and good info. As I’ve said, atheists can be an angry lot, ironically like religious zealots.
Trooper York says:
I don’t blame Obama.
He only wants to kill Jews.
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Riiiiiight. That’s why all those drones are bombing ISIS. Lotsa Jews in ISIS.
Just watched our local news in Chapel Hill. Two women who live in the apartment complex were interviewed and said that the killer was always angry and angry at everybody. There are probably multiple factors here and certainly mental health problems may be a part of it.
“Yes we’ve gone astray of the topic of the post.” We’ll all remember that the next time you hijack a thread with “but, but Republicans!” or “but, but conservatives!”
alyssa
“unfortunately, these victims were there at the wrong time and the wrong place.”
Firstly, stupid lawyer, you don’t need to repeat there/place.
Secondly, well, if that’s all it was then it was just another unfortunate shooting incident. Case closed. Don’t do it again. Now get out of here and don’t let me see you back in my courtroom ever again. Heck, who doesn’t get frustrated from time to time?
The death penalty or this country is headed for the sewer.
Jim22
A supreme being wouldn’t make religions like all of those that exist. But, humans would. If a supreme being were responsible for any part of this then, why, to show off-to whom, for its own amusement-perverted at the least, some sort of grand experiment-it’s that bored? Everything about the supreme being is nothing more than a reflection of man’s ideals, explanations, and fear.
The imprint is either a supreme being’s imprint on humans or humans imprint on a supreme being. Unless of course there is another supremer being.
issac – there is a Hugo winning short story you should track down called “The Microcosmic God.” I think all will become clear to you after that. 😉
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/232523-wife-of-chapel-hill-suspect-shooting-had-nothing-to-do-with-religion
“The wife of the man charged in the shooting of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill, N.C., said on Wednesday that she didn’t believe the killings were because of their religion.
“It is my absolute belief that this incident had nothing to do with religion or the victims’ faith but, in fact, was related to the longstanding parking disputes my husband had with the neighbors,” said Karen Hicks, wife of suspect Craig Hicks, at a news conference, according to WRAL.
Her lawyer said it was a case of Hicks “having been frustrated day in and day out, and unfortunately, these victims were there at the wrong time at the wrong place.””
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/us/muslim-student-shootings-north-carolina.html
“Residents at the building said parking there was often complicated. Some residents had stickers allowing them to park in reserved spaces, and others did not, and requests for people to move their cars were not uncommon.
Shadi Wehbe, 33, who has lived in the housing complex since starting at the University of North Carolina in 1999, said he believed he had had a brief interaction with one of the women who was killed about two weeks ago, when she came and nicely asked him to move his car. “She said, ‘Is that your beautiful car right there?’ I said, ‘Yes it is.’” The woman told him it was one space over from where it should be, and he happily moved it.
Mr. Wehbe, a Christian of Lebanese descent, said it was possible that there were multiple motives to the shooting. “This may have started from a parking incident and turned into something else,” he said.”
Too many unknowns, at this point:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/02/11/three-killed-in-shooting-near-university-of-north-carolina/
“People who lived there said Wednesday that there was plenty of parking and said they could not imagine an argument over parking spaces.”
on 1, February 11, 2015 at 5:51 pmDr.Nick
People who use large graphics like that offensive looking sock puppet, are crying for attention.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sTGtHuryEQk/TRg_A6H2yEI/AAAAAAAABEg/skwXTKfSXf8/s1600/IMG_7944.JPG
People who use large graphics like that offensive looking sock puppet, are crying for attention.
“I see dead people.”
I don’t blame Obama.
He only wants to kill Jews.
on 1, February 11, 2015 at 4:46 pmWadewilliams
Where’s Nick so we can read…..
Haters!
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on 1, February 11, 2015 at 5:29 pmRogerdodger
There are some people here who seem like angry atheists. I hope I don’t run into them in a parking lot. Atheists are a cauldron of anger, and it looks like 3 Muslims got the barrel end of that atheist anger. That’s small potatoes for atheist killings, just ask the Russians, Chinese and Cambodians. American atheists need to get focused and get their killing shoes on.
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https://placester.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/sock-puppet.jpg
Atheists don’t just hate Muslims, they hate all people of religion. They are equal opportunity haters,
There are some people here who seem like angry atheists. I hope I don’t run into them in a parking lot. Atheists are a cauldron of anger, and it looks like 3 Muslims got the barrel end of that atheist anger. That’s small potatoes for atheist killings, just ask the Russians, Chinese and Cambodians. American atheists need to get focused and get their killing shoes on.
Yes we’ve gone astray of the topic of the post. An Islamaphobic gun nut who hated students, who took what he considered his parking spot, killed three people.
Inga – can you back up anything you said?
that’s because he was head of the huge atheist cabal in chapel hill north cackalacky