A central Indiana man is charged in the road rage shooting death of a Muslim man whose sister calls his killing a hate crime.
Thirty-three-year-old Dustin Passarelli of Plainfield remains jailed without bond following a Friday initial hearing on a murder charge in Zahra Ayoubi's killing.
Ayoubi's sister, Zahra Ayoubi, says his slaying "was a hate crime."
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry says they can't charge it as a hate crime because Indiana is one of five states without a hate crimes law.
At the Statehouse this week, lawmakers passed a bill that some call a bias crimes law, but critics say is not.
"We have said on many occasions, too many occasions in fact, that hate and crimes motivated by hate are real," Curry said in a statement. "Some in the legislature wish to push the dialogue into the hypothetical, but those of us who listen to our neighbors understand that this is an unfortunate reality in our state.
Court documents say Passarelli was driving Saturday in Indianapolis when another car aggressively "flew up" from behind. He followed it to an apartment complex, where Ayoubi was shot following a verbal altercation.
A friend of Ayoubi's told investigators Passarelli yelled "go back to your country" and ethnic and religious insults.
Passarelli told police Ayoubi made an anti-Semitic remark and punched a window in his car.
A message was left Friday for Passarelli's attorney.
Dustin Passarelli Charges by on Scribd