Nicolla Hewitt Saudi Gazette Two suspects remain in custody at the Sedgwick County Jail in Wichita, Kansas on suspicion of first degree murder of 23-year-old Saudi student Rayan Ibrahim Baba. Baba died from multiple gunshot wounds sustained in the campus parking lot of Wichita State University over the weekend. In an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette, Dan Dillion of the District Attorney's office in Wichita said investigations are continuing and and as of now there was no bail. The suspects have been identified as 19-year-old Eboni Fingla, and 23-year-old Isaiah Copridge. There are two police departments involved in the case: Wichita Police Department and the Wichita Sate University. Both departments are active in the investigation and want students from Saudi Arabia to be confident of their own safety. Lt. Espinoza of the Wichita police department spoke at length to the Saudi Gazette about the murder which has shocked the 500-odd students from Saudi Arabia studying in Kansas. Many of them have expressed concern that they could be targets too. Lt. Espinoza said: “We are very, very confident that students on this campus from Saudi Arabia don't have to worry about their own safety. Everyone is doing their very best to make this campus as safe as possible. And it is. We should also state that it appears as the victim here knew these possible suspects who are in custody. So again, this isn't something random, but specific, and no students should feel their safety isn't good. It is.” The police department at Wichita State University continues its own investigation into possible motives for the murder. At the same time, it is also assuring students on campus that security measures are at an all time high. With the two suspects still being held on suspicion of first degree murder, many wonder what's next in the legal process in the United States. Dan Dillon of the District Attorney's office in Wichita told the Saudi Gazette: “What we will see next is a preliminary hearing in front of the judge once authorities feel there is enough evidence to charge the suspects.” Kansas is a death penalty state, but unlike most of the United States, no executions have taken place here since 1976. Whatever the outcome, a student from Saudi Arabia is dead just as many students from the Kingdom begin what they were looking forward to as an uneventful semester in the United States.
