Warrensburg Murder Charges Dropped

The Warrensburg murder charges have been dropped against 24-year-old Ziyad Abid. The Saudi national was charged with first-degree murder in the 2012 death of Blaine Whitworth.

Authorities first questioned Reginald Singletary Jr. for the crime. Singletary was an employee in a bar owned by Whitworth.

As reported by Fox 4 News, Singletary confessed to killing 25-year-old Whitworth. However, he explained that the murder was a hired hit. Singletary contends that he was hired by Abid to kill his Whitworth. A motive was never revealed.

Abid was arrested an held on $2 million bond. Although the bond was provided in April, Circuit Judge Michael Wagner denied Abid’s release. The $2 million was paid to the court by the Saudi government.

Judge Wagner was uncomfortable with the source of the bond. He was also concerned that Abid would flee the country. Abid remained in jail for nearly a year.

Pat Peters, Abid’s attorney, argued that there was no evidence against his client. Peters contends that Singletary changed his story numerous times.

Throughout his questioning, Singletary reportedly blamed a gang and the Mafia for hiring him to kill Whitworth. He eventually changed his story one last time, pointing the finger at Abid.

The Warrensburg murder charges against Abid have now been dropped. As reported by KansasCity.com, Prosecutor Lynn M. Stoppy issued a statement about the unexpected change:

“Very recently, our understanding of evidence previously obtained from a critical witness has changed… the state is currently left without sufficient evidence to support the prosecution at this time.”

Chief of Police, Bruce Howey, is disappointed with the prosecutor’s decision. He points out that law enforcement is tasked with investigating crime to the best of their ability. When they are satisfied with the evidence, it is turned over to the prosecutor.

He explains that when a case is turned over to the prosecutor, law enforcement has no power to challenge their decisions.

Due to Singletary’s pending case, Chief Howey declined further comment.

The Warrensburg murder charges have been dropped against Ziyad Abid. However, he is now facing deportation. He was granted a student visa while studying in the US. However, his visa expired while he was in jail. He is now in the US illegally.

[Image via Flickr]