LONDON: The parents of a Saudi student stabbed to death at an Airbnb property in the US are suing the rental company over allegations it failed to properly screen his killer.
Al-Waleed Al-Gheraibi, 25, was killed in Pennsylvania in January 2023 by fellow guest Nicole Marie Rodgers, aged 19 at the time of the crime, reported The Independent.
She pleaded guilty in December to third-degree murder, burglary, theft and a weapons charge, and is now serving a prison sentence of 15 to 40 years at SCI Muncy in Pennsylvania.
Al-Gheraibi, describe as a “sweet and lovely young man” was studying computer science at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia and was renting a room in the city’s Germantown neighborhood for six months.
The room was part of a five-bed investment property operated by Gardith Edouard, a Cornell graduate. At the time she lived down the street and looked after the building for its tenants, many of whom were students.
Edouard screened Al-Gheraibi thoroughly before accepting his tenancy agreement. Vetting involved a phone interview, background check, educational status report, passport copies and emergency contact details.
Al-Gheraibi was a “model tenant” who “paid his rent on time and was pleasant to be around,” the suit filed by the deceased’s parents, Abdullah and Eiman, said.
In December 2022, Al-Gheraibi told Edouard he was extending his stay after requiring an additional course to graduate from college. He was said to be disappointed, the lawsuit said, because he had been excited to return to his family and fiancee in Saudi Arabia.
During that period, Rodgers, a resident of Georgia, applied for a short-term booking at Edouard’s home through Airbnb. The 19-year-old’s profile on the platform was marked “identity verified.”
Edouard, however, was reluctant to rent a room to someone of Rodgers’ age after a previous tenant aged 18 had caused extensive damage to the property.
In response to Rodgers’ booking request, the Airbnb host contacted the platform and said she did not want to rent to anyone younger than 21, the suit said.
But Airbnb told Edouard she could be flagged for discrimination and removed from the platform if she refused tenants based on their age.
As a result, the host agreed to rent a room to Rodgers from Jan. 5-23 in 2023.
On the final day of her stay, Rodgers encountered Al-Gheraibi in the building’s hallway and “induced him to enter her room.”
Subsequent news reports have suggested Rodgers requested the Saudi student’s help to move heavy furniture.
After Al-Gheraibi entered the room, Rodgers stabbed him “multiple times,” piercing his neck and puncturing his lungs, the lawsuit said.
“He was stabbed multiple times in the neck and lungs, was dragged into a shower, and was left to die alone,” it added.
Edouard was alerted after another tenant complained of strange noises in the property. She described the scene upon entering the room as “the most horrific sight” and said the walls were covered in blood.
“My whole body just shook,” Edouard told The Independent. “I tried to resuscitate him, but by the time 911 got there, I knew he was dead … I’m still not well, it’s just been horrible.”
Rodgers had tried to use bleach to cover up the killing, causing an “overpowering” smell, Edouard said.
Al-Gheraibi was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rodgers fled the property and logged back into Airbnb to change her name to “Nicole Jenkins.” The motive for the killing remains “unclear,” said the attorney representing Al-Gheraibi’s parents.
Philadelphia police arrested Rodgers a week later.
The lawsuit filed by Al-Gheraibi’s parents said the Saudi student suffered an “obviously painful and terrifying” death. It accused Airbnb of negligence “in numerous ways, including not limiting the ability of persons under age 21 from renting a property through Airbnb” and “not conducting sufficient screening of potential guests to make it safer for other people staying in an Airbnb property to be free from violent crimes committed by Airbnb renters.”
The platform was aware that “younger renters such as Rodgers have less self-control and are more prone to commit criminal and other destructive acts, including physical harm to other persons who are staying or residing in Airbnb properties,” the suit said.
Attorney for the Al-Gheraibi family, Steven Harvey, described the grief of parents Abdullah and Eiman as “extreme” and said they hoped their son’s death would cause Airbnb to change its business practices.
Harvey said: “His parents do want justice, though what does justice mean? What does justice look like? Nothing is going to bring their son back.
“They would like to see Airbnb take some responsibility for its policy that led to this horrific situation.”
