An Indian national with an open assault case and a history of domestic violence allegedly strangled his 19-year-old American girlfriend in her Tucson apartment, then fled halfway across the world before authorities caught him at a German airport — and nobody in the system flagged him before Julissa Rubi Salazar ended up dead.
Varun Batchigari, 20, was charged with first-degree murder after Salazar was found dead with signs of trauma Thursday afternoon, according to the Tucson Police Department. Her family had requested a welfare check after receiving suspicious messages from her phone — messages Batchigari allegedly sent after stealing her phone and credit cards.
The New York Post reported that Batchigari had an open criminal case for assault — knowingly causing injury — filed in Pima County Court on May 26. Another woman told investigators he had sexually assaulted her on Halloween, though she never reported it. Salazar herself had been planning to break up with him over his history of sexual and domestic violence, according to KOLD. Her roommates heard screaming from her room for several minutes on Aug. 5. When they checked on her, they received a message — apparently from Batchigari — saying she was fine and it was just an argument.
The obvious question neither the press nor the authorities are asking: why was Batchigari still in this country? He had been expelled from the University of Arizona for a fight. He had lost his job, which jeopardized his visa status. He had an active assault charge. Any one of those should have triggered a review. All three together should have put him on a plane home before Salazar ever ended up in a body bag.
Instead, Batchigari made it to Tucson International Airport, flew to Houston, connected to a flight to Berlin, and was apparently heading to India before German authorities detained him at the request of Arizona officials. He will be extradited to Pima County.
Salazar was remembered by her family as a beloved daughter and sister. "No parent should ever have to experience the heartbreak of losing a child," a GoFundMe for her family reads.
Meanwhile, The Oregonian reported on a different kind of fugitive — Cris Leroy Jones, 60, who allegedly murdered his California roommate Daniel Joslin, then posed as the dead man while camping in Mount Hood National Forest. A Clackamas County deputy discovered Jones using Joslin's identity on July 30; a SWAT team arrested him Aug. 2. Jones had outstanding warrants for two DUII arrests dating to summer 2025. Another violent man with prior run-ins who was free to kill.
Two cases, two dead Americans, two suspects who should have been stopped earlier. The system didn't protect Salazar. It didn't protect Joslin. When both parties in Washington agree on something, the public usually gets sold out — and bipartisan failure on immigration enforcement and criminal accountability is costing American lives.
How many open assault cases does a foreign national need before someone revokes a visa?
