Riyadh: As the man pleaded not guilty on Friday in connection with the death of a Cal State Northridge student from Saudi Arabia whose body was found last year in the Coachella Valley, he will be retried before a Californian court on February 4, reported Arabic daily Sabq.
Body of 23-year-old Abdullah Abdullatif Alkadi was found after authorities questioned the suspect, Agustin Rosendo Fernandez, 28, who had the Audi when he was arrested.
The defendant who has denied any involvement with the murder has been charged with stealing the victim's money and car before stabbing to death in a desert areas outside from Los Angeles.
According to police, Fernandez had Alkadi’s vehicle in his possession when he was arrested in October 2014 and that he made statements that led to Alkadi’s body.
Alkadi vanished on September 17 from his home near California State University, where he was studying electrical engineering before police found his body about 240 kilometres away from his residence.
Alkadi came the United States in 2010 to pursue studies. He hails from Khobar region in Saudi Arabia.
He put the Audi up for sale in mid-September 2014 through Craigslist for more than US$30,000.
Police investigation revealed that the defendant, Fernandez, kept talking to the Saudi the student for several days about buying the car and the two met at Alkadi’s house.
Two suspects were initially arrested in connection with the murders but Fernandez was charged eventually.
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