Student Charged With Killing Indian-Origin Roommate In US Found Unfit For Trial

Police found the victim on a chair and the accused covered in what appeared to be blood

Washington:

A 22-year-old South Korean student from the prestigious Purdue University in the US, who was charged with the murder of his Indian-origin roommate two months ago, is incompetent to stand in the trial, a judge has ruled.

Ji Min Sha, a cybersecurity major from Seoul ruthlessly attacked Varun Manish Chheda on October 5 by stabbing him multiple times in the head and neck before he called authorities to report his 20-year-old roommate was dead.

Chheda from Indianapolis was found dead in McCutcheon Hall on the western edge of the campus.

The two lived in McCutcheon Hall on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus, about 104 kilometres northwest of Indianapolis.

Tippecanoe Circuit Judge Sean Persin appointed two doctors to treat Ji Min Sha until he is found competent to understand the charges against him and assist in his defence, ABC 7 news channel reported last Thursday.

Persin ruled after reading a report prepared by defence-hired psychologist Dr. Sean Samuels, who interviewed Sha for five hours shortly after the slaying.

Court records indicate Sha told police he believes “he is extensively involved in international espionage and is a former CIA operative,” WLFI-TV reported.

Police found Chheda in a chair and Sha covered in what appeared to be blood, according to the outlet.

They also observed what they believed to be blood spattered on the wall, along with a pool of blood and a folding knife on the floor.

Sha allegedly admitted that the knife was his and that he used it to kill his roommate.

Chheda’s friends have said they had been gaming with the victim when they suddenly heard him screaming.

An autopsy found that Chheda had died of “multiple sharp-force traumatic injuries.” Indiana police described the crime as an “unprovoked and senseless” murder.

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