Advertisement

Tampa man accused of killing man whose body was found in Pinellas retention pond

Amjad Namrouti, 28, killed Jamie Hobdy, 42, after an argument over illegal drugs, according to St. Petersburg police.
 
Amjad Namrouti, 28, has been arrested in connection to the death of 42-year-old Jamie Hobdy of Tampa, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Amjad Namrouti, 28, has been arrested in connection to the death of 42-year-old Jamie Hobdy of Tampa, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department. [ Photo provided / Pasco County Sheriff's Office ]
Published Jan. 23, 2023|Updated Jan. 23, 2023

A 28-year-old Tampa man is facing a first-degree felony murder charge after authorities say he killed a 42-year-old Tampa man whose body was found in a St. Petersburg retention pond last month.

According to a Monday news release from the St. Petersburg Police Department, Amjad Namrouti got into an argument with Jamie Hobdy over illegal drugs on Dec. 5, and that disagreement ended with Hobdy’s death.

Four days later, on Dec. 9, detectives began looking for Hobdy after he was reported missing by a relative, and the investigation led them to an area near 2007 Gandy Blvd., police said.

The department said it asked St. Petersburg Fire Rescue’s dive team to search a retention pond in that area, and divers recovered his body on Dec. 12.

The next day, detectives announced they had used a unique tattoo to identify the body as belonging to Hobdy.

After evidence pointed to Namrouti being responsible for Hobdy’s death, a warrant was issued for his arrest, the release said. He was arrested by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 20.

Namrouti was booked into a Pasco County jail, where he is being held while he awaits transfer to a Pinellas County jail, St. Petersburg police said.