Media bias?

Speaking of Popal, the Fremont, California Muslim man who ran down every pedestrian in sight, remember how quick everyone, including the mayor of San Francisco, was to reassure us that there was no evidence this was a religiously-motivated hate crime (never mind that the fellow went 40 miles out of his way to mow down people near a Jewish center)? 

Yesterday, a Muslim woman was gunned down in cold blood in the same Fremont, California.  Think everyone eagerly hasten to reassure us that there was no evidence this was a religiously motivated hate crime?  Right.  Check out the way the crime was reported:

Although police have not determined a motive for the killing, some of Ansari’s relatives said that it was a hate-crime because the victim was wearing a hijab, a tradition Muslim head scarf.

Or try this story:

 Islamic community leaders met with the Ansari family Friday and joined them in calling her death a hate crime.

 Or this:

Some relatives, however, wonder whether Ansari was targeted because of her appearance.

Ansari, a native of Afghanistan, was Muslim and usually wore a hijab, or head scarf, two relatives said.

Or this:

By Thursday night, detectives had not revealed a motive for the crime, but Hamoyon Ansari, the victim’s brother, thought it was racially motivated.

Gee, there’s no media bias at work here.  With a complete lack of evidence either way, the media rushes to reassure us that there is no evidence that a Muslim who kills does so for religious reasons and rushes to share with us speculations of family members and “Islamic cimmunity leaders” that, when the victim is Muslim, it probably was a hate crime. 

By any measure, this is an unimaginable human tragedy.  An innocent mother of six is gunned down in front of her 3-year-old child.  But what possible reason is there for the difference in coverage?