Ziyad Abid Returns to Saudi Arabia After Charges Dismissed in Blaine Whitworth Case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former University of Central Missouri student from Saudi Arabia who was accused of paying his roommate to kill a Warrensburg bar owner has left the country nearly three weeks after charges were dismissed.

Ziyad Abid was held without bond for 11 months in connection with the Sept. 1 slaying of Blaine Whitworth. Johnson County prosecutor Lynn Stoppy dropped the charges Aug. 2, saying there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute him.

Abid's attorney says the 24-year-old flew from Kansas City to Washington, D.C., on Monday, and arrived in Saudi Arabia early Wednesday.

Abid was arrested Sept. 5 after Reginald Singletary Jr. told investigators he killed Whitworth, but that Abid paid him to do it. The Saudi government posted $2 million bond in April, but a judge refused to release him.