A college student has been arrested and charged with the murder of his roommate. 22-year-old Ji Min Sha, a student at Purdue University, is being held on suspicion of murder. He’s accused of killing his roommate, 20-year-old Varun Manish Chheda from Indianapolis.
Purdue University Police responded to McCutcheon Hall on Wednesday, October 5th, at 12:45 AM. The caller identified himself as Sha and told police that he had just killed his roommate with a knife. Authorities responding to the call say they found the victim, Chheda, sitting upright in a chair with the murder weapon, a folding knife, close to him on the floor.
Police who questioned Sha at the scene say that he admitted that the knife was his and that he used it to kill Chheda, who was sitting in the chair at the time of the attack. He also acknowledged calling 911 and remained at the crime scene until police arrived.
An autopsy performed by the Tippecanoe Coroner’s office determined that the cause of death was “multiple sharp force trauma to the head and neck.”
On his way into a court appearance on Friday morning, Sha was asked by a reporter why he did it, and he responded that “he had been blackmailed.” A local photojournalist then asked him if he had anything to say to the Chheda family, and he responded by saying that “he was very sorry.”
Purdue Police are uncertain as to the motivation for the crime. Purdue Police Chief Lesley Wiete believes the crime was “unprovoked and senseless.” A continuance was issued at Sha’s initial court hearing. He’ll be held without bond until he’s formally charged with murder at his next court date on October 13th.
Chheda, a Purdue junior studying data science, was a National Merit Scholarship Award Winner and a national runner-up in a Science Bowl competition in 2016 and was also a member of the Purdue Honors College. A childhood friend, Arunabh Sinha, posted on his own Facebook page that “Varun was many things but above all, he was brilliant, humble, ethical, and family-driven.’ He added,” My sister and I were lucky to attend school with Varun for 12 years. Varun touched lives at every turn he took, from Sycamore, Park Tudor, and Purdue, to everywhere outside of school he was involved. He was destined to make a large impact in our world and while we have been robbed of this opportunity, I am still highly appreciative to have known him since 1st grade. Rest in peace, Varun. We will miss you dearly.”
An obituary for Chheda said he “loved the sciences, was very inquisitive and his passion for any subject matter was contagious.” Services are being held this weekend.
