Purdue student killed in residence hall; roommate in custody

6 Oct 2022

A suspect — the roommate of the victim — made the call and is in custody.

WEST LAFAYETTE (Ind.) (WNDU) - Purdue University Police Department is investigating a death in a residence hall as murder.

According to WTHR Indianapolis, a spokesperson for the university said that a 911 call was received at 12:44 AM Wednesday morning from McCutcheon. A suspect — the roommate of the victim — made the call and is in custody.

Chief Lesley Wiete, Purdue University Police, has identified the suspect to be Ji Min Sha (22). Sha is a junior international student studying cybersecurity from Korea.

Varun Manish Choheda (20), of Indianapolis has been identified as the victim. An autopsy will be performed Wednesday afternoon.

Wiete says both students were awake at the time of the incident in their first floor dorm room, and she believes the crime was “unprovoked and senseless.”

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels released the following statement:

Dear Purdue community members,

I am writing to inform you that one of our students was murdered in his residence hall room this morning. The suspect, the victim’s roommate, called police to report the incident and is in custody.

This is a terrible tragedy that could have occurred on our campus. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who were affected by this horrible event.

We don't have all the details. The Purdue University Police Department is currently conducting an investigation into this incident to help us all learn more. As is always the case, staff from our Office of the Dean of Students, our Residence Halls, and clinicians at Purdue’s Counseling and Psychological Services are providing support and are available to anyone who needs or wants their care.

As Purdue's president and even more as a parent, I can assure you that safety and security are our top priorities. Purdue is an extraordinarily safe place on any given day, and compared with cities of Purdue’s population (approximately 60,000 in all), we experience a tiny fraction of violent and property crime that occurs elsewhere.

These statistics are no consolation for a day such as this. Each of us is deeply affected by the loss of a loved one on campus or within our Purdue family.

I am eternally grateful to you all for taking the time to care about each other. I know you will continue to do so in the coming days.

Officials claim there is no threat to community. However, McCutcheon students were relocated to another area while police investigate the incident.