Repeat offender accused of college students murder was known threat after prior arrest: victims mom

FIRST ON FOX: "This happening to her feels so unfair in so many ways," said the mother of slain University of Arizona student Julissa "Julie" Salazar.

Salazar, 19, was found strangled to death in her apartment near campus on Thursday.

Investigators say her alleged killer, Varun Batchigari, 20, from India, boarded a flight out of the U.S. and was captured by law enforcement in Berlin, Germany.

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Reports say his alleged motive may have been tied to a breakup with Salazar.

Her mother told Fox News Digital that Salazar had "broken up" with the suspect before she was found dead.

"She had already had that conversation with him" about ending the relationship, said Salazar's mother, who asked not to be identified.

Federal law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News that Batchigari entered the U.S. on an F-1 student visa in January 2024. He was expelled from the University of Arizona following a "fight," KOLD reported.

The university confirmed to Fox News Digital that Batchigari was expelled on July 22.

"We can confirm that Julissa Rubi Salazar was a University of Arizona student and offer our deepest condolences to her family, friends and all who knew her as a member of our campus community," the university said in a statement. "We have been in contact with Julissas family and are providing support and resources to those who need them during this very difficult time."

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"He no longer had any business here [in the U.S.] or around the student body, especially as a threat," Salazar's mother said.

Court records from Pima County, Arizona, indicate the University of Arizona Police Department charged Batchigari with assault on May 26.

Before his expulsion, he was a business analytics student who said, "I don't see work as my purpose. I see it as a tool, something that helps me build a life I actually want," according to a video he posted to his YouTube account.

In the video he posted in April, he said, "I want to travel, see different places, experience different cultures, and do that with someone I care about."

As Batchigari awaits extradition back to the U.S., the Salazar family is beginning to come to terms with their new normal.

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Salazar leaves behind her mother, father and two younger sisters. She was a "bright light," her mother said – in more ways than one.

Salazar was just 17 years old