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Bethune Pleads Not Guilty in Varughese Case

People
Daily Egyptian
Gaege Bethune walks into the Jackson County Courthouse before being charged on two counts of first-degree murder for the death of former SIU student Pravin Varughese, Tuesday, July 18, 2017, in Murphysboro. Bethune pleaded not guilty to two counts of firs

The man accused of killing a student from SIU-Carbondale in 2014 entered his plea in Jackson County Court.

The Daily Egyptianreports Gaege Bethune pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree murder of SIU-C student Pravin Varughese.
Bethune waived a formal hearing.

His attorney, Michael Wepsiec, said he is filing for a change of venue because the case has been so highly publicized in the region.

Bethune was the last person to see Varughese alive after giving him a ride in February 2014. Varughese's body was found in a wooded area along Route 13 in the eastern part of Carbondale almost a week later.

A Jackson County coroner's autopsy showed no evidence of foul play, although a second autopsy - called for by the family - showed Varughese suffered a traumatic blow to the head.
 

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