Police say CSUN student Abdullah Alkadi was fatally stabbed by a man he met while trying to sell his car. That man is now in the custody of police and has been charged with Alkadi's murder.Alkadi was a 23-year-old engineering student at CSUN who had been missing for a month, before police found his body near the 10 Freeway in Palm Desert. Now Augustin Rosendo Fernandez, 28, has been arrested and charged with one count of murder with special circumstances of murder committed during a robbery and carjacking, according to a release from the L.A. District Attorney's office.
At a news conference today, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said that Alkadi met Fernandez on Craigslist when he posted an ad to sell his Audi. Fernandez, posting as a prospective buyer, went to meet Alkadi at his home in Northridge on September 17. Beck said that Fernandez wanted to keep both the car and the money—about $30,000—and at some point he killed Alkadi using a knife. Beck also said that the car was involved in the killing in some way, but that he could not reveal additional details yet.
Initially, it was reported that police had cleared the buyer of Alkadi's car; however, today police said that Fernandez had the car when he was arrested and that his statements gave police clues that led them to Alkadi's body, City News Service reports.
On Sunday, police said they had arrested two suspects. Today, they revealed that the second person has not been charged and is not in custody.
Fernandez's charges make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted, and prosecutors will ultimately decide if they intend to seek it or life in prison without the possibility of parole. His arraignment has been pushed to November 17.
On the day Alkadi went missing, he had an ordinary conversation with a cousin around 5 p.m. His roommates returned home at 7 p.m. and became concerned when he was not there. Alkadi's brother traced his cell phone to Beaumont before it was deactivated, about 40 miles east of where Alkadi's body was ultimately found, but said that neither he nor his brother had any ties there.
