Jay Thomas Severson, a 27-year-old male graduate student and counselor at Purdue University, found his life tragically cut short on October 16, 1996, in his room at Wiley Hall, a men's residence hall on the West Lafayette, Indiana campus. His death was the result of a fatal shooting perpetrated by a freshman student, Jarrod Eskew of Crawfordsville.
The events leading to this violent encounter began the night before, when Severson, in his capacity as a student counselor, reported to Purdue police that he had witnessed Eskew with cocaine in his possession within the residence hall.
Following the report, authorities were unable to locate Eskew that evening. The situation escalated dramatically the following day when Eskew confronted Severson in his room and shot him. Shortly after ending Severson's life, Eskew returned to his own room within the same dormitory and took his own life. The investigation concluded that this murder-suicide was a direct consequence of Severson's report to the police regarding Eskew's drug possession.
In the wake of this tragedy, a memorial fund was established in Jay T. Severson's name at the request of his family. The fund was created to support drug education and counseling services at Purdue University, a lasting legacy to a young man who lost his life in the line of his counseling duties. There were no further arrests or suspects in this case, as the individual responsible for Severson's death was deceased.
