Purdue student killed in residence hall Wednesday morning, roommate in custody

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Twenty-year-old Varun Manish Chheda of Indianapolis died early Wednesday inside his McCutcheon Hall room, an apparent victim of homicide, according to Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello and Purdue University police.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

Chheda’s roommate is the suspect and is in custody, Purdue spokesman Tim Doty wrote in an email.

The roommate, who is the suspect, called police about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday to report the killing. He reportedly is in custody.

Purdue police declined to comment about the factual circumstances, referring media to Doty, whose email indicated that Purdue police are still gathering details. He noted that there is no danger to the Purdue community since the suspect is in custody.

Students living near the crime scene were moved to other rooms, and the university has counselors available for those who need it, Purdue communication specialist Trevor Peters stated.

Purdue President Mitch Daniels released a statement Wednesday.

“This is as tragic an event as we can imagine happening on our campus and our hearts and thoughts go out to all of those affected by this terrible event.

“As Purdue’s president, but even more so as a parent myself, I assure you that the safety and security of our students is the single highest priority on our campus,” Daniels said. “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.

“Such statistics are of no consolation on a day like this. A death on our campus and among our Purdue family affects each of us deeply.”

Daniels ended his official statement by adding his gratitude for those who take the time to care for each other during this time at Purdue.

The last homicide on Purdue’s campus was Jan. 14, 2014, when Cody Cousin killed Andrew Boldt in the Electrical Engineering building. Cousin pleaded guilty, was sentenced, then killed himself in prison later in 2014.

Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue University student killed in McCutcheon residence hall