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Eldorado Man Indicted in 2014 Death of SIUC Student

A southern Illinois man has been indicted in the death of former SIU-Carbondale student Pravin Varughese.

The Carbondale Police Department says 22-year-old Gauge Bethune of Eldorado faces two counts of first-degree murder.
A special prosecutor assigned to the case in 2015, returned the indictment on Thursday.

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.

For over three years, the Varughese family fought for answers in their son's death. His mother, Lovely, has been on a mission to clear her son's name - fighting back against comments that he was intoxicated on the night he went missing.

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.
 

As a news producer and news anchor on All Things Considered, Brad provides the listeners with a recap of the day's top local and state news as well as breaking news at any given time. Contact WSIU Radio at 618-453-6101 or email wsiunews@wsiu.org
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