Saudi scholarship student killed in US by woman; $20,000 reward for information on suspect

Dubai: A 25-year-old Saudi scholarship student has been killed in the US after being stabbed to death by a woman inside his residential building, Okaz newspaper reported.

The crime took place on January 23, around 11:50am inside a home on the 300 block of Hansberry Street in Germantown, Philadelphia. Police said that officers found Al Walid Al Gharibi suffering a stab wound to the neck in the third-floor bathroom. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Philadelphia police offered a reward of $20,000 for those providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of the fugitive suspect Nicole Marie Rodgers, 19, from Columbus, Georgia. The police charged the woman with murder, robbery, burglary, and theft.

However, and soon after announcing the award, Philadelphia police arrested the woman in connection with the deadly stabbing. In a statement issued earlier today, the police confirmed the 19-year-old Nicole Marie Rodgers, of Columbus, Georgia, is now in custody. She is being charged with murder, robbery, burglary and other related offenses. It is not yet known what led to the stabbing or if the suspect knew the victim.

The student was nearing the end of his scholarship programme, with only two months left until graduation before returning home. It was discovered that the suspected killer stole the student’s mobile phone and other possessions before fleeing the scene.

The police reported that the suspect may be driving a black 2017 Kia Sorento with the Georgia license plate number CUS-1413. They did not provide any information about the motive for the crime or if the suspect knew the victim. The police urged anyone with information about the suspect to come forward.

The uncle of the victim provided additional details about the crime. He told Okaz that the suspect was a neighbour of the victim, living in the apartment opposite his. He also stated that the body of the student was found in the bathroom of the suspect’s apartment.

Contrary to reports on some news websites, the uncle denied that the suspect had used the victim’s offer to sell furniture as a pretext for the crime. He said that the suspect had been planning the crime for some time and that initial investigation had revealed this. The suspect had reportedly asked the deceased to help her move some belongings and attacked him with a knife as soon as he arrived.

The uncle also reported that the victim had suffered stab wounds to the neck and despite trying to resist, he was unable to fend off the attack and died from his injuries. The suspect then locked the body in the bathroom of her apartment.

A neighbour of the deceased alerted the police after hearing suspicious noises and finding the suspect’s behaviour suspicious. The suspect initially claimed the noise was caused by her dog. When the neighbour became suspicious and opened the bathroom door, he found him lying in a pool of blood and immediately called the police.

The student had only one subject left to complete before graduating with a degree in computer science and returning home. His father was in Pennsylvania to assist in the investigation and ensure that the perpetrator was apprehended and brought to justice.