Man Murdered Morton Grove SIU Student In 2014, Jury Finds

MURPHYSBORO, IL — A Jackson County jury found a Gaege Bethune, a 23-year-old Herrin man, guilty in the murder of Pravin Varughese, a Southern Illinois University student from Morton Grove. Varughese was 19 when he was found dead in the woods off of Illinois 13 on Feb. 18, 2014. Bethune was accused of punching Varughese and robbing him during a drunken drive around Carbondale looking for cocaine, according to the Associated Press.

The jury deliberated for around seven hours Thursday before it returned a verdict of guilty on one of two counts of first-degree murder. Bethune was found guilty of punching Varughese in the head – and aggravated battery that was a "direct and foreseeable" cause of his student's death, according to the Southern Illinoisan, but he was acquitted on a second count accusing him of also robbing the college student.

As jurors confirmed their rulings, Bethune buried his head down on the table in front of him, WSIL-TV reported. He later vomited into a wastebasket. Following the verdict, Bethune's bond was revoked and he was taken to jail.

“It’s tough. It’s not a happy ending for anybody,” State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor David Robinson said. “It’s an emotional time for the victim’s family and its an emotional time for the defendant's family," one of whom reportedly departed the courthouse in an ambulance.

The prosecution focused on Bethune's lies to police and confessions to family members, the Southern reported. In his closing argument, Robinson said Varughese had been unable to call for help due to a concussion from being punched by Bethune.

Varughese was found dead several days later. An initial autopsy ruled his manner of death undetermined and caused by hypothermia. A second autopsy was commissioned by the Varughese family and performed a few days later. It found blunt force trauma to the head contributed to the teens's death and ruled it a homicide.

A grand jury first decided against filing criminal charges and Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Carr determined in 2015 there was no probable cause a crime had been committed. However, following a continued push from Varghese's family to keep the case open, a special prosecutor was eventually assigned and Bethune was indicted on murder charges last July.

“We are relieved. Pravin's search ended today," his mother, Lovely Varughese, told WMAQ-TV. "We praise God for giving us the strength to go through this.” She thanked the many locals who attended the trial to support her, telling the Chicago Tribune there are "so many for whom justice is denied in this area, and they are all looking up to us and this gives them hope."

Related:

• Murder Trial In Morton Grove Student's 2014 Death Enters Second Week
• Trial Begins Over 2014 Death Of Morton Grove SIU Student
• SIU Student From Morton Grove Beaten, Robbed Before Death: Indictment