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.
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theater debuts
With $270 million in worldwide ticket sales, "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately, leading to one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year.
Senator wants change following WRTV Investigation into mental health facilities
A state senator is pushing for sweeping change following a WRTV Investigation into a Lawrence mental health facility.
Hoosiers raise awareness about men's health issues for 'Movember'
You may notice many mustachioed men around Central Indiana this November. Some are adorning facial hair to raise awareness of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide.
Pacers end 3-game skid, extend Wizards losing streak to 11 with 115-103 victory
After not playing well defensively for the past three games, Sunday's game showed modest improvement as Indiana allowed just 16 fourth-quarter points.
