TIPPECANOE Co. — A Tippecanoe County circuit court judge has ruled Purdue murder suspect Ji Min Sha incompetent to stand trial and has delayed his case.
An order was issued today by Judge Sean Persin stating that Sha "is not currently capable of understanding the legal proceedings against him and is not currently capable of assisting counsel in his defense."
The 23-year-old, Sha is accused of fatally stabbing his roommate, Varun Manish Ccheda, 20, at their Purdue University dorm room on Oct. 5.
Officers found Chheda dead and sitting in a chair and Sha with a folding knife, which Sha later admitted was his.
He told police he used the knife to kill Chheda while he was sitting in the chair where police found him, according to the affidavit.
Records show while Sha was in jail, he exhibited "bizarre and withdrawn" behavior and expressed delusional thoughts.
Court records filed today show two physicians, Dr. Parker and Dr. Will testified on Sha's mental competency in March.
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Both physicians believed Sha to meet criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia and recommended he be referred to the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction for care before standing trial.
Records show they also found that Sha had previously responded well to taking anti-psychotic medication.
Judge Persin approved this recommendation stating that based on his condition of schizophrenia he believes Sha's competency could be restored in the future should he take anti-psychotic medication consistently.
Sha's competency to stand trial will continue to be monitored by the state who will
re-assess after 90 days of treatment.
