An American college student was murdered in her apartment by her abusive boyfriend before he was arrested in Germany as he attempted to flee to his home country of India, police said.
University of Arizona student Julissa Rubi Salazar, 19, was found dead with signs of trauma in her Tucson, Arizona, apartment on Thursday around 4pm after her parents requested a welfare check, according to the Tucson Police Department.
The 19-year-old was first discovered by the fire department, which requested police backup after suspecting she had been murdered.
Detectives examined evidence in the apartment and conducted interviews to determine that Salazar's boyfriend, University of Arizona student Varun Batchigari, 20, was the primary suspect.
Authorities obtained a first-degree murder and kidnapping warrant for Batchigari's arrest, which was obtained by KOLD.
According to the warrant, Salazar was discovered on the floor of the apartment with a blanket pulled up to her neck, which had strangulation and scratch marks.
When detectives interviewed the young woman's roommates, they were told that she had been planning to break up with Batchigari because he had sexually assaulted her before and she was afraid of his violent behavior.
One roommate said she had heard screaming coming from Salazar's room on August 5, the day before the murder, which lasted for several minutes.
University of Arizona student Julissa Rubi Salazar, 19, was found dead in her Tucson apartment on Thursday with strangulation and scratch marks on her neck, police said. Her family and friends made this AI photo of the girl for their fundraising page
Salazar's boyfriend, Varun Batchigari, 20, was arrested for murder and kidnapping in Germany as he attempted to flee to his home country of India, according to police
The roommate recounted texting Salazar to see if she was alright, to which the student replied she was fine and that it had just been an argument.
After killing his girlfriend, Batchigari stole her phone and bank cards, which he used to catch a ride to Tucson International Airport and text Salazar's mother, according to the warrant.
The student's mother said the texts felt off and were inconsistent with messages her daughter had sent before, which is why she requested the welfare check.
From the Tucson airport, Batchigari flew to Houston, then Germany. He was planning to travel from the European country to India before he was apprehended by the FBI's Legal Attaché Office in Berlin after it had been alerted by the federal agency's Tucson office, police said.
Interviews conducted by detectives revealed troubling signs in the months leading up to Salazar's murder.
One of the women police spoke to said that Batchigari had sexually assaulted her at a Halloween party but that she had not reported the incident to law enforcement.
Another individual said that Batchigari had recently been expelled from the University of Arizona because of a fight, and that he had recently been fired from his job, which put his US visa in jeopardy and made it difficult for him to pay rent.
Court records reviewed by the Daily Mail also show that Batchigari has a pending case for assault knowingly causing injury in Pima County Court, which stemmed from an incident in May.
Salazar had been planning to break up with Batchigari, as she was afraid of his violent behavior and history of abuse, her friends told investigators
The former University of Arizona student is in custody in Germany awaiting extradition back to Arizona so he can be tried on his murder and kidnapping charges.
A GoFundMe to help Salazar's family cover the cost of funeral expenses said that she had two younger sisters and parents 'who love and miss her more than words can express.'
The fundraiser described Salazar as a 'daughter, sister, friend, and beloved member of her family... [who] was loved deeply, and she will be missed beyond measure.'
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