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Thursday, September 02, 2010 - 2:33:43 PM
Local News
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Roommates and Neighbors Speak about Al-Zahrani - 12/5/2009
Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani has been charged with the second-degree murder of Binghamton University Professor--Richard Antoun.Broome County's District Attorney says Al-Zahrani stabbed Antoun to death in the Science 1 building Friday.
The two knew each other through the anthropology graduate program.
Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani lived in a three bedroom apartment in downtown Binghamton.
His roommate says police searched his room for two to three hours.
"The police, they came, and when they were allowed to enter into his room, they took all his stuff," said Jules Sakho, Al-Zahrani's roomate.
His roommates say police also found a knife in a dumpster near the apartment.
But police do not have a motive at this time.
Al-Zahrani's roommates say he was dealing with a lot of problems.
He expressed being worried about finishing his dissertation on time. He was also no longer on scholarship and didn't have a job.
"I would think it was because of the whole dissertation being rejected. But I cannot confirm it, he had issues with his financials.
I don't know what he had against that professor," said Luis Pena, a graduate student.
His roommates and neighbors also say his behavior was strange.
"He was all the time shouting in Arabic, shouting threats, insulting this country for no reason," said Sakho.
"He used to make a lot of noise, always at Dunkin Donuts next door to our apartment, and he used to shout a lot," said Kalpak Bahlearo, Al-Zahrani's neighbor.
"He told me there were students, who were spies for the government of Jordan that were harassing him," said Pena.
"Sometimes, for no reason, asking if I am afraid of death or not, " said Sakho.
"He says a comment like, 'I feel like just waking up and destroying the world'," said Pena.
Al-Zahrani was a Saudi Arabia national and Sakho says he was Muslim.
But the D.A. believes the stabbing was not religiously motivated. Sakho says he thinks Al-Zahrani had psychological problems as well.
"One day I met him here on the couch.
He was weeping for no reason," said Sakho.
But both roommates say they never thought Al-Zahrani would kill.
"It's crazy that you can have someone living with you like that and not know," said Pena.
"He kept on making threats, but I thought it was just a way to intimidate people.
I couldn't imagine that he could go so far," said Sakho.
***FOX40's Jacqueline Kane Reporting***
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