Ji Min Sha (left), and Varun Manish Chheda
The friend of a slain college student said the victim was playing a game online when he was allegedly stabbed to death by a roommate, according to WTHR. The detail helps sketch out what allegedly led up to defendant Ji Min Sha, 22, allegedly murdering Varun Manish Chheda, 20, at a dorm hall in Purdue University.
The motive remains under investigation.
“I was blackmailed,” Sha said in response to reporters’ questions before a court hearing on Friday, according to WPTA. He did not elaborate on the claim or substantiate it before authorities escorted him away.
Authorities have said that Sha called 911 early Wednesday morning from McCutcheon Hall and said he just stabbed his roommate to death. Officers found Sha in the room. They said he had blood on his clothes and body. Chheda was dead in a chair.
Police described “blood spatter on the wall, a pool of blood on the floor and a folding knife on the floor,” according to an affidavit obtained by NBC News.
“Sha said the knife on the floor was his, and admitted he used the knife to kill Chheda while he was sitting in the chair where police found him,” the affidavit said. “Sha said after he killed Chheda he called 911 and remained in the room until the officers arrived and arrested him.”
Wu told WTHR that Chheda was playing an online game with friends during the incident. Wu, who said he was part of the friend group, described hearing screaming through what the outlet called the gaming platform.
Police told the outlet that Chedda was online gaming the night of the incident. They and Wu both said Sha was not part of the gaming group.
Prosecutors have until Thursday to file formal charges, according to The Journal & Courier.
“I love my family,” Sha has told reports on being escorted to the Tippecanoe County Jail.
[Screenshot of Sha via CBS Chicago; image of Chheda courtesy of Park Tudor School]
