WEST LAFAYETTE (ABC News/WRTV) — The parents of a Purdue student killed in his dorm room earlier this month are sharing their grief and how they want to honor him.
Police say Varun Chheda, 20, died in "an unprovoked attack" after he was stabbed multiple times, allegedly by his roommate.
"I miss him terribly. Because he was my son, because he was my friend," Seema Dedhiya, Chheda's mom, told ABC News in a new interview.
Dedhiya drove Chheda back to Purdue after a long weekend with family. Chheda texted "goodnight mama" around 11:45 p.m.
Later that night, the data science major was gaming online with friends when the attack happened. Purdue University police found Chheda dead shortly after 12:40 a.m. Oct. 5 as they responded to McCutcheon Hall.
"You would never believe it in a million years. I mean, I would believe that, you know, there could be a fire or there could be an earthquake, or there could be, you know, a car wreck or any other kind of, you know, accident, but never, never something like this," Manish Chheda, Varun's dad, said.
An autopsy found Varun died from "multiple sharp force trauma" injuries to his head and neck. His death was ruled a homicide.
Both parents want to honor their son by living as he did: with compassion, kindness and a curiosity for life.
"What will you miss most?" asked ABC's Eva Pilgrim.
"His laugh [and] his brilliance," Dedhiy said.
"In the time that he had, he touched a lot of people in a positive way," Manish said.
You can read more about Varun here.
-
Campers move in ahead of 110th Indianapolis 500
Trailers and RVs loaded into the camping lots at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday morning ahead of the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Indiana Fever waive guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
The Indiana Fever have waived guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough from the roster, the team announced. Walker-Kimbrough appeared in just two games this season and played a total of six minutes.
Caitlin Clark listed as probable for Friday’s game against Valkyries
Fever star guard Caitlin Clark is listed as probable with a back injury for Friday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries.
Alexander Rossi cleared to race in Sunday’s Indy 500
Rossi was part of a crash during Monday’s practice session. He walked away from the incident, but “underwent successful outpatient procedures” on Monday evening.
