CHICAGO: A Pennsylvania judge has denied bail for Nicole Marie Rodgers, 19, who is accused of the Jan. 23 murder of Saudi student Alwaleed Algheraibi, 25, with a court appearance set for next month.
Rodgers, who is originally from Columbus, Georgia, allegedly stabbed Algheraibi in the neck. She was arraigned on Thursday and will be held in police custody until her first public court appearance on Monday, Feb. 13, court records provided to Arab News show.
Rodgers was taken into custody on Thursday, Jan. 26, following a three-day Philadelphia police investigation.
Rodgers faces charges including murder, robbery, burglary and theft. Investigating officers told local press that the victim’s phone and other valuables were taken.
Police said that witnesses had heard a person screaming from an apartment building located at the 300 block of Hansberry Street in Philadelphia at approximately 11:50 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 23.
When police arrived with paramedics, they found Algheraibi in the bathroom of a third-floor apartment with a fatal stab wound to his neck.
Algheraibi, described as a college student, was pronounced dead by the Philadelphia Fire Department Medical Unit personnel five minutes after his body was found on the bathroom floor.
Algheraibi was nearing the end of his studies and was due to return to Saudi Arabia.
The victim’s uncle told local Saudi media that his nephew’s suspected killer was a neighbor who lived in the apartment opposite.
