The wife of Craig Hicks, the man who allegedly shot and killed three Muslim college students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Tuesday, says the victims' religion had nothing to do with the murders.
"I can say with my absolute belief that this incident had nothing to do with religious faith," said Karen Hicks, who has been married to the suspect for seven years.
She added that her husband is someone who "championed" the rights of others and believed everyone is equal. Tuesday night's shooting sparked a hate crime investigation. Chapel Hill Police said the shooting was a result of an ongoing dispute about a parking space.
The couple's attorney said Hicks had a "long-standing issue" with the parking situation in his neighborhood.
"It is a simple matter. It has nothing to do with the religious faith of the victims, it has nothing to do with terrorism," Attorney Rob Maitland said. "It has nothing to do with anything but the mundane issue of this man being frustrated day in and day out of not being able to park where he wanted to park, and unfortunately these victims were there at the wrong time at the wrong place."
Hicks' wife said she does not believe the shooting was racially or religiously motivated. #ChapelHillShooting pic.twitter.com/i1tlJUnOYR— Lauren Horsch (@LaurenHorsch) February 11, 2015
The father of two of the victims, Dr. Mohammad Abu-Salha, told the Charlotte Observer on Wednesday morning that his daughter has previously told him about her "hateful" neighbor.
“It was execution style, a bullet in every head,” Abu-Salha said Wednesday morning. “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.”
The Durham District Attorney Roger Echols said the crime is still being investigated. Federal authorities, who handle hate crimes, are not yet involved.
Hicks turned himself in to police late Tuesday night. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and was denied bond.