A North Carolina man charged with killing three Muslim students will face a death penalty trial, a judge ruled Monday, NBC News reported. Craig Hicks, 46, is charged with the February killings of three students near the University of North Carolina: Deah Barakat, 23; his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19. Prosecutors said Hicks has confessed to the shootings, and investigators found guns and ammunition in his home, according to warrants. The victims' families have insisted that the killings were a hate crime, and the FBI is investigating whether any federal laws were violated in the story. But Hicks' lawyer had said the shootings were over "mundane issue," and Chapel Hill Police have said the shootings stemmed from "an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking."
