A man charged with murder in the stabbing death of his roommate is competent for trial, according to Tippecanoe County court.
Ji Min Sha faces one count of murder of Varun Manish Chhedad, 20, of Indianapolis.
Tippecanoe Circuit Judge Sean Persin ruled Dec. 15, 2022, that Sha was incompetent to stand trial, after Sha argued an insanity plea. Persin appointed two doctors to treat Sha until he was able to understand his court proceedings.
The court filed an order Sept. 12 to transport Sha back to Tippecanoe County Jail from Logansport State Hospital.
“The defendant has attained the ability to understand the proceedings and assist in the preparation of his defense,” Persin said in the transport order.
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The two lived in McCutcheon Hall on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus. Prosecutors allege that Sha stabbed Chheda several times in the head and neck with a folding knife that officers found on the floor near the chair where Chheda’s body was discovered.
Purdue Police Chief Lesley Wiete said Sha called police early on Oct. 5, 2022, and told them his roommate was dead in their dorm room. Officers who arrested Sha found him wearing clothes with blood on them, prosecutors have said. An autopsy found that Chheda had died of “multiple sharp-force traumatic injuries.”
If convicted, Sha could face 45 to 60 years in prison. A status conference has been scheduled for Sept. 29.
