A Saudi national held for nearly a year on a Warrensburg, Mo. murder charge has been freed as a prosecutor asked a judge to drop the case for lack of evidence. There is still mystery around the murder.
Even Ziyad Abid’s lawyer said he is ethically barred from revealing what he knows of things that changed in the case. The 24 year old Abid was accused of paying to have a bar owner killed.
Abid denied it.
Another man, Reginald Singletary Jr. awaits trial for the killing last year. Singletary was Abid’s accuser.
While in jail 11 months, Abid’s student visa expired and his lawyer, Patrick Peters said hours after charges were dropped, federal immigration agents were meeting with Abid-- “he’s been transported to ICE. He’s there as we’re speaking now and we’re anticipating that ICE will process him and release him.”
A student visa expiration caused by being jailed a wrongful criminal charge is a minor violation, to Peters. Abid had been planning to start his senior year, studying aviation at University of Central Missouri when he was arrested in September 2012.
It’s not clear whether Abid would be deported.
Peters said it’s frustrating that a $2 million bail posted by the Saudi government remains held by Johnson County Courts.
Even with the bond made, Abid was never freed on it, until the dropping of the case.