Man sentenced to life without parole in killing of Cal State Northridge student

A Long Beach man was sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday for the death of a Cal State Northridge student who met his killer on Craigslist.

Agustin Rosendo Fernandez was convicted in June of first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Abdullah Abdullatif Alkadi, 23, whose body was found along the 10 Freeway in Palm Desert in 2014.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Hayden Zacky handed down the sentence to Fernandez, now 30.

Prosecutors also filed special circumstances alleging the murder happened during a robbery and a carjacking, and that Fernandez used a knife. Jurors found those circumstances to be true, according to a court officer.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office decided not to seek the death penalty against Fernandez.

Prosecutors allege Fernandez met Alkadi, an engineering student from Saudi Arabia, on a social media site after Alkadi posted an ad looking to sell his Audi on Sept. 17, 2014. Los Angeles police said Alkadi’s brother told investigators he sold his car on Craigslist.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia Barnes said Fernandez stabbed the engineering student to death that same day so he could keep both the $35,000 car and the money.

Fernandez was taken into custody on Oct. 16, 2014, in downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles police arrest records show. Alkadi’s body was found that night along the 10 Freeway in Palm Desert, according to police.

Alkadi’s car was later found parked at the defendant’s apartment in the 6800 block of Long Beach Boulevard, according to prosecutors.

ben.poston@latimes.com

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