Craig Stephen Hicks Chapel Hill Death Penalty Hearing: Man In Court Over Triple Murder of North Carolina Muslim Students

The man who was charged with the February murders of three Muslim students near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is scheduled to be in court Monday for a hearing on whether he will face the death penalty. Craig Stephen Hicks, who surrendered to police Feb. 10 less than an hour after he shot and killed Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, was charged with first degree murder.

Prosecutors are expected to present their case before Chatham County Court to show that Hicks, 43, deserves the death penalty for his actions, which were allegedly driven by anti-Muslim views. Hicks described himself to authorities as an "anti-theist," something that was underscored by posts to his Facebook page that show discriminatory comments regarding religion. The social media account, which has since been deactivated, featured comments such as “People say nothing can solve the Middle East problem, not mediation, not arms, not financial aid. I say there is something. Atheism”; and a photo of a gun on a scale with the caption, “Yes, that is 1 pound 5.1 ounces for my loaded 38 revolver, its holster, and five extra rounds in a speedloader.”