January 5, 2004
Contact:
Lynn Kimbrough,720-913-9025
AL-YOUSIF SENTENCED
24-year-old Naif Al-Yousif
(DOB: 9-12-78) has been sentenced in connection with the
death of a fellow Saudi Arabian student whose body was found in
a landfill near Erie.
On October 27, 2003 a Denver
jury found Al-Yousif guilty of first-degree felony
murder, robbery, theft by receiving, accessory after the
fact, and concealing a death in the murder of Abdulaziz Al-Kohaji
whose body was found on February 6, 2001.
Denver Chief Deputy District
Attorney Mike Pellow and Deputy District Attorney Adrienne
Greene prosecuted the case and appeared before the court today.
Pellow spoke on behalf of the victim and his family, calling Al-Yousif
a social parasite who killed his host. He was sentenced to life
in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder charge
and an additional 12 years in prison for the other charges. He
was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution at this time with
negotiations for more restitution on-going.
Al-Yousif made a statement on
his behalf, in which he made no apology to the victim’s family
and suggested that he did not have receive a fair trial due to
the events of September 11th , 2001 and the war in
Iraq.
Two other suspects in the murder
fled to Saudi Arabia shortly after the murder. It is reported
that they remain in custody under a death sentence there.
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