Samanata kept friendship with Ewing a secret from her mother.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A new report regarding the unfortunate slaying of Virginia Tech senior Samanata Shrestha indicates that her mother was not aware of her daughter’s supposedly close friendship with roommate and leading murder suspect Jessica Ewing.
Local newspaper The Roanoke Times is reporting that Shrestha, 21, was very open with her mother regarding her friends and personal life, but never mentioned Ewing to her. Her mother told the paper that if they were truly very good friends, she would have heard about Ewing at some point or another.
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That allegation is made all the more strange since Shrestha and Ewing were roommates – how would a mother have never even heard of a girl that her daughter was living with for close to a year?
New details regarding Shrestha’s demise two weeks ago at the Blacksburg, Virginia campus seem to confirm early reports that there was a violent physical altercation between Shrestha and Ewing that ultimately ended in the former’s demise. Evidence of scratches, clawing-type marks, and even teeth bites were found on Ewing body.
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Early reports said that the cause of death was likely strangulation, but those were not confirmed. Several subsequent reports speculated that Shrestha may have even been shot. While firm confirmation has still not come out as to how Shrestha was killed, it appears more likely that the strangulation was the cause of death.
Ewing was arrested along with two young men – Keifer Kyle Brown and Michael Christian Heller, both 23 – in connection with Shrestha’s murder. A motive for the murder is still being investigated by the authorities. A funeral and memorial service for Shrestha was conducted by the family last weekend.
The Times also reported that Ewing was charged in 2012 with keeping a collection of animals and insects in a section of the university’s underground steam tunnel network.
Ewing had the charges – storing wildlife that is unlawful to sell and trespassing after being forbidden – dismissed after completing 50 hours of community service, according to court records.
The animals included two nonpoisonous, constrictor-like snakes, a black widow spider, a tarantula, two unidentified lizards, a frog, a rabbit, three mice and a cage of crickets.
This post first appeared in americanbazaaronline.com