RALEIGH, N.C. – Craig Hicks pled guilty and was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday in the slaying of three Muslim college students.

  • Craig Hicks pled guilty to murdering three muslim students in 2015.
  • He is facing life in prison.
  • The family of the victims believe hate motivated this crime.

Craig Hicks admits to having shot and killed Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan, in their Chapel Hill condo in 2015.

RELATED: New Video Evidence Surfaces in Trial of Craig Hicks

 

RELATED: Father of Yusor and Razan Abu-Salha Speaks Before Congress

Hicks will serve three consecutive life sentences.

 

 

 

RELATED: Man Charged with Killing Muslim Students Will Not Face Death Penalty

Investigators initially said the shooting happened as a result of an ongoing parking dispute. But the family, citing the execution-style in which the three were murdered, says this was a crime of hate.

Prosecutors say the day of the shooting, Hicks parked in his designated space which was open, and went on to point out that he specifically targeted the three, rather than someone in the parking lot.

It should be pointed out also that both Deah and Yusor were parked in designated spaces, while Razan was parked on the street.

Newly surfaced video in the case was shown in court, showing the moments around in the shooting, recorded by Deah as he opened the door.

The court did not allow the video to be recorded by news outlets, but reaction from the family was captured after the video was shown.

 

 

 

RELATED: Neighbors Say Murder Suspect had Huge Gripe About Parking

Newly released documents show that Hicks also had more than a dozen firearms in his apartment, many of which were loaded.

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