A Purdue University student who is suspected of murdering his roommate made his first court appearance and short statement to the media on Friday.
Suspect Ji Min Sha said, “I’m really sorry,” when asked if he had a message for the victim’s family. He also claimed to have been blackmailed, however he provided no details.
Sha’s case has been postponed while he faces official accusations. On Thursday, he must appear in court again.
Varun Manish Chheda, a student at Purdue Institution, was found dead in a dorm room early on Wednesday morning, the university said.
At 12:44 a.m., the victim’s roommate called 911, according to a statement released by the university in West Lafayette, Indiana.
According to Purdue University Chief of Police Lesley Weite, 20-year-old Chheda, a senior from Indianapolis studying in data science, was discovered dead in his McCutcheon Hall dorm.
According to Weite, his 22-year-old roommate Ji Min Sha has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Sha, originally from Seoul, South Korea, is now a junior at her university, where she is specializing in cyber security.
About 12:45 a.m., Sha, who goes by the nickname “Jimmy,” contacted police in West Lafayette, Indiana (about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis or two hours southeast of Chicago), Wiete said, “alerting us to the death of his roommate.”
Tippecanoe County Law Enforcement said over the airwaves, “One roommate has assaulted another with a knife.”
Sha has not been officially accused of anything. We don’t know why Chheda was slain, but Wiete said detectives believe he was awake.
The capture was fast, as Weite put it.
The university has said that an inquiry is ongoing and that there is no danger to the local community. According to Weite, the victim and suspect did not share their apartment with anybody else.
The autopsy revealed that Chheda died from “several sharp-force traumatic injuries,” and the mode of death was murder, according to Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello.
This was really unnecessary and unwarranted,” Weite remarked. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s loved ones at this difficult time. What must be going through his family’s minds is beyond my comprehension.”
On Wednesday night, there was a vigil for Chheda at the university.
Normal class schedules were maintained, but the news that one of their classmates had been murdered shook a school with deep links to Chicago.
“Someone asked me whether I was OK via text. Then I opened the email and read it. In an email to the whole nation, President Daniels remarked, “According to first-year Purdue student Nils Haugen.
