Cullen Osburn Courtesy of Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Criminal charges have been filed again a Minnesota man accused of killing a Saudi Arabian college student in a northwestern Wisconsin city.
Cullen Osburn, 27, of Minneapolis, faces one count of felony murder and one count of felony battery in connection with University of Wisconsin-Stout student Hussain Alnahdi’s death in October.
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Osburn and Alnahdi reportedly had a confrontation in the early hours of Oct. 30 in front of Toppers Pizza in Menomonie, according to the complaint. Witnesses said Alnahdi was punched twice in the face and hit his head on the building after he was shoved backward and fell to the ground.
Alnahdi was unconscious and bleeding from the nose and mouth when police arrived, the complaint states. The 23-year-old died the next day of a traumatic brain injury.
Osburn’s sister told police Osburn told her Alnahdi grabbed a chain around his neck and he may have pushed Alnahdi backward, according to the complaint.
Another witness said she heard a disturbance and turned to see Alnahdi put his hands in the air “as if to indicate he didn’t want a problem with the unknown male” who was later identified as Osburn, according to the complaint. After the two began yelling at each other, the witness said the unknown male struck Alnahdi, who then hit his head on the side of the building when he fell.
Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf told the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram newspaper Osburn has been arrested in Minnesota and will need to be extradited. Office staff said no other comments would be given at this time.
On Friday afternoon, UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer issued a statement, in which Meyer said he hopes the charges bring a feeling of peace and comfort to Alnahdi’s family.
“They have gone through a living nightmare, and our hearts and prayers continue to go out to them,” Meyer’s statement reads.
Meyer said Alnahdi’s death has affected everyone on campus, particularly minority and international students.
“I have witnessed many people reaching out to these concerned students to assure them that they live and study in a safe environment,” Meyer said in the statement.
Alnahdi’s death drew international media attention when police initially announced they were treating the case as a possible hate crime. A memorial held at UW-Stout for Alnahdi Nov. 3, drew more than 1,000 friends, faculty and community members from around the region.
Osburn has dozens of prior convictions in Minnesota, including a felony for domestic violence.
Online court records didn’t indicate an attorney for Osburn.
Editor’s Note: This story was last updated at 5:03 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13.
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