Bond set for USA murder suspect

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Brandon Ajizadeh stood quietly in court Tuesday as his lawyer explained why his client should get a low bond.

According to Habib Yazdi, Ajizadeh was defending himself against unwanted sexual advances from the victim, James Dean.

"He started to approach him and have sex with him, and my client said 'No,' and then that's what happened," Yazdi said.

However, prosecutors said there's no evidence to support that claim.

"The victim was stabbed 25 times with a butcher knife. When something like that happens, we have no reason to believe that this is self defense," the District Attorney said.

Rich said Dean had been living with the suspect for about three weeks prior to the murder. That's something University of South Alabama students have comfirmed.

"I saw them walking together all the time," one student said.

Dean was found stabbed to death in Ajizadeh's dorm room early Sunday.

The young men knew each other from high school. They graduated from Murphy last year.

The defense lawyer said Ajizadeh agreed to help his friend who told him he didn't have a place to stay. Yazdi said it was his client who was attacked first.

"The victim attacked him with a knife, and finally, my client got the knife and stabbed him so he can get alive out of the room," he said.

When asked if his client had any injuries from the alleged attack, Yazdi said, "His hand was scratched by the knife."

Bond was set at $150,000.

If Ajizadeh does come up with the bond money, he's also been ordered to stay away from the USA campus.

The district attorney said she was not ready to talk about the possible motive investigators have come up with for the murder.

Rich said that may come out at the preliminary hearing on Thursday.