WARRENSBURG — Two Warrensburg men have been charged in the murder of a young bar owner. Reginald Singletary and Ziyad Abid are in jail tonight, charged with first-degree murder.
FOX 4 has learned that both men charged in this murder have connections to Blaine Whitworth. Singletary also had ties to Kansas City. The 27-year-old graduated from Winnetonka High School in ’03 and then came back to the school as a paraprofessional and football coach during the 2010-2011 season.
According to an old online bio page, Singletary left Kansas City to play linebacker for Missouri Valley College. In fact, Singletary was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Heart of America Conference five years according according to the Conference website.
When Singletary came back to Kansas City, he worked for Winnetonka High School for 17 months. School officials say he left on good terms in February of 2011. They say they heard he quit to take another job. But online court records show Singletary was going through a divorce with his wife and two children. He also had a stalking charge against him. According to friends, Singletary was currently working as a bouncer at Blaine Whitworth’s bar.
The Associated Press says Singletary admitted to shooting his former boss last Saturday night. Telling Police Ziyad Abid paid him to murder Whitworth. Abid’s online profile says he is a student at University of Central Missouri, the same place Whitworth attended college. Abid and Whitworth are listed as friends on Facebook. The 23-year old says he is from Saudia Arabia and flashes money and expensive watches in his online pictures.
As to why Abid would hire Singletary to kill the 25-year-old bar owner as is being reported? That question remains unanswered. Police do not describe a motive.