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Grand jury indicts Saudi student on murder charge

A Missouri grand jury has handed down a new indictment charging a former University of Central Missouri student from Saudi Arabia in the death of a Warrensburg bar owner.

The indictment filed Friday in Johnson County charges 24-year-old Ziyad Abid with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was arrested in September after his roommate, Reginald Singletary Jr., told investigators Abid had paid him to kill bar owner Blaine Whitworth.

The grand jury indictment replaces previous charges against Abid, and it's unclear how it will affect Abid's attempt to be released on bond.

The Saudi government in April posted $2 million bond, but Circuit Judge Michael Wagner refused to free Abid, saying he was a flight risk and the Saudi bond didn't meet stipulations set by a previous judge.

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