Man Indicted on Murder Charges Following Chapel Hill Shooting

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The man who killed three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, N.C. last week has been indicted, authorities say.

According to CNN, a Durham County grand jury charged 46-year-old Craig Hicks with three counts of first-degree murder. Hicks faces a charge for discharging a firearm in an occupied dwelling, as well.

Last Wednesday, the bodies of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; his wife, 21-year-old Yusor Mohammad; and her 19-year-old sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, were found at an apartment. Each reportedly suffered gunshot wounds to the head. Hicks later turned himself in to police.

Although a longstanding dispute over a parking spot is said to be the cause of the murders, police have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime. The FBI is reportedly investigating a Facebook page believed to belong to Hicks where the following comment was posted:

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In one post widely shared online, Hicks, who claimed he is an atheist, allegedly wrote: When it comes to insults, your religion started this, not me. If your religion kept its big mouth shut, so would I.

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[via CNN]