Lawyers in death-penalty case seek answers on mental fitness

FAIRFAX, Va. – Defence lawyers for a man facing a possible death penalty in the slaying of a Muslim teenager last year say their client likely suffers intellectual disabilities.

The court filing from lawyers for 23-year-old Darwin Martinez-Torres of Sterling seeks appointment of an expert to evaluate whether he has the mental capacity to face capital punishment.

The Washington Post reports an initial evaluation by a neuropsychologist found Torres suffers from poor memory and impaired judgment, and is functionally illiterate.

Martinez-Torres is charged with capital murder and rape in the 2017 killing of 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen. She was attacked while walking back to a mosque with friends ahead of a pre-dawn Ramadan service in northern Virginia.

A judge will hear arguments on the request later this month. The trial is scheduled for January.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com