Arizona Watcher
A 20-year-old University of Arizona student, Varun Batchigari, was arrested in Germany on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of his 19-year-old girlfriend.
Authorities identify the victim as 19-year-old Julissa Rubi Salazar and say she was killed at her Tucson apartment on August 6.
Investigators say Batchigari traveled from Tucson International Airport to Germany after the alleged killing, intending to continue to India, and was detained upon arrival.
Authorities allege the suspect took Salazar’s phone and credit cards and sent texts to her mother posing as her; family concern led to a welfare check that prompted officers to respond.
Emergency responders called about 4 p.m. on August 6 found Salazar dead on the apartment floor with a blanket to her neck and visible marks of strangulation and scratches, triggering a homicide probe.
The arrest warrant notes prior incidents, including a University of Arizona police investigation of an assault and witnesses saying Salazar had moved out and planned to end the relationship over past problems.
Witnesses also allege past sexual assault by Batchigari. Federal records show he remained in lawful immigration status though may have been expelled from the university; he is held in Germany pending U.S. extradition.
A 20-year-old University of Arizona student has been taken into custody in Germany on an arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of his 19-year-old girlfriend in Tucson. Authorities say the suspect left the United States after the…