The Binghamton University graduate student accused of fatally stabbing a professor on Dec. 4 pleaded not guilty in Broome County Court Thursday, according to reports from the Press & Sun-Bulletin.
Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani, a 45-year-old Saudi national, was indicted on one felony count of second-degree murder on Jan. 22, which could lead to a minimum sentence of 15 years to life and a maximum of 25 years to life in jail if convicted.
According to the report, Al-Zahrani declined a bail hearing Thursday before Broome County Judge Martin Smith.
Al-Zahrani is accused of stabbing 77-year-old BU Professor Emeritus Richard T. Antoun four times with a 6-inch kitchen blade in Science I on Dec. 4, 2009. Antoun died at Wilson Memorial Hospital later that afternoon.
A cultural anthropology graduate student last semester, Al-Zahrani has been in custody since Dec. 5, when he was taken to the Broome County Jail. He was arraigned that morning in the Town of Vestal court.
He was then remanded to the Broome County Jail without bail.
The Saudi government, which was formerly unaware of his studies in the United States, is providing Al-Zahrani with an attorney. The Saudi consulate has retained New York City lawyer Frederica L. Miller to represent Al-Zahrani. The consulate has also informed the suspect’s family members — including one in the U.S. — of the status of the case and court dates.
Broome County District Attorney Gerald F. Mollen did not return five phone calls between Monday and Thursday.