Craig Stephen Hicks was indicted Monday on three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of three young people in Chapel Hill. Deah Barakat, 23, his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, were shot to death inside their condominium in the Finley Forest community.
The parents of the deceased believe their children were targeted because of their faith. Chapel Hill police say the shooting was over an ongoing parking dispute, but local and federal law enforcement officials are still considering other motives like religious bias.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Joe Kennedy, professor of law at UNC-Chapel Hill, about what constitutes a hate crime, how hate crimes are prosecuted, and why naming an act as a hate crime is significant.