Dhaval Shah, Indian Student Association president, said the arrests of the three men suspected to be connected to the Dec. 13 murders of two University graduate students in May didn’t calm the situation in his heart. Instead, it left him questioning the investigation.Shah said the case against Devin Jamell Parker, Casey Gathers and Michael Jermaine Lewis has been going slow.Parker was indicted Thursday on two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam. Gathers and Lewis were released from East Baton Rouge Parish Prison after the 120-day deadline passed Monday.By law, prosecutors have 120 days to file formal charges against a murder suspect. After 120 days have passed, the defendant’s attorney can file a motion to have him released without a bond obligation.”There was a question mark left in the Indian community when these three people were caught because there were reports of four people,” Shah said. “There was no mention of the fourth guy.”Shah, also an environmental engineering graduate student, said the question in the Indian community was which report was true — were there three or four suspects?John Weathers, biology senior, said the entire situation was “messed up.””If they really did the shooting, two people just got away with it,” Weathers said. “That wasn’t a fight. Someone’s dead now.”Steven Danielson, state prosecutor, said on Monday he is still investigating Gathers’ and Lewis’ involvement.Aaron Phipps, general studies senior, said it doesn’t matter to him whether the two were released on bond or because of the state law.”They’re free enough to do it again,” he said.Reginald Babbin, political science junior, agreed with Phipps.”If they had killed two white people, they’d probably still be in jail,” Babbin said. “That’s just my opinion, but usually that’s the way it works. It depends a lot [more] on the victim than the person who did it.”Chris Ludeau, political science junior, said if prosecutors are not going to charge Gathers or Lewis, they should be released.”If they had enough evidence to get one of them [indicted], they should have enough for all of them,” Ludeau said. “If they had 120 days, and they couldn’t find anything, there’s no reason they should be in jail.”Lindsay Hardiman, history sophomore, said she doesn’t understand how the grand jury could indict Parker on second-degree murder.”They’re saying this is not premeditated, but they waited for somebody,” Hardiman said. “They waited for the opportunity to do it — that’s pretty much the definition of premeditation.”Everyone said only one thing could give University students closure about the double murders — a conviction.”We just expect the results,” Shah said. “We don’t have any other choice but [to] hope that they will have positive results.”
 
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Contact J.J. Alcantara at [email protected]