MURPHYSBORO, Ill. (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a 22-year-old in the death of a Southern Illinois University student whose family long argued his death three years ago wasn’t accidental.
Jackson County Court records available online Friday say Gaege Bethune is charged with two counts of murder in the death of Pravin Varughese.
The 19-year-old criminal justice major from suburban Chicago was found in a wooded area in Carbondale nearly a week after he went missing.
Authorities said in 2014 there was no evidence of foul play and that Varughese likely died of cold exposure. But the family had said a private autopsy showed signs of blunt force trauma. The indictment itself is sealed and online records don’t detail the allegations.
Bethune turned himself in Thursday. Bail is set at $1 million.
