It's almost 10 months since the Purdue community was shocked with the tragic killing of Andrew Boldt in January. In recent weeks, the legal process involving the sentencing of the shooter has been underway in order to serve proper justice and give the Boldt family a degree of closure. While this is obviously a delicate subject, I'd like to give our readers a recounting of the events leading up to the recent death of Boldt's convicted killer Cody Cousins as well as reflect on the emotions of that day in January. 

We begin on January 21, when Cousins entered the Electrical Engineering building with intent to kill senior engineering student Andrew Boldt, who was also teaching assistant at the time. What started as a normal winter day of classes at Purdue quickly became a day of chaos and uncertainty. What I remember the most is the panic on the social media-sphere. Twitter was inundated with rumors of multiple shooters in different parts of campus, which caused emotions and tension on campus to skyrocket. The events of the day showed us that social media and hearsay can cause a situation like this to escalate unnecessarily. I was in a linguistics class in Beering Hall when it happened, and classmates of mine were reading text messages out loud from friends reporting people with guns walking around outside several different buildings on campus. No one knew what exactly had happened or what to do about it. 

After the situation was diffused and Cousins was apprehended, Purdue had an opportunity to respond to this tragedy, and did so in a way that will make me proud to call myself a Boilermaker for the rest of my life. If you were at the candlelight vigil held that same night at the steps of Hovde Hall, then you feel the same way I do. I was awestruck at the unity and sense of family I felt when looking over the sea of flickering candles in the hands of my fellow Purdue students. Senseless violence has no place in the world we try to live in, but its inevitability has proven to bring people together in the wake of a tragedy such as this. 

Two days after the shooting, Cousins was charged with one count of murder at his initial hearing. The court, finding him mentally fit to stand trial, sentenced Cousins to 65 years in prison. Cousins had reportedly suffered from narcissistic personality disorder, but was not believed to be mentally ill at the time of the shooting. He explicitly expressed that he did it "Because [he] wanted to," while at the stand at his sentencing. It seems that Cousins's intentions were very clear, but his motivations still remain the opposite. 

It was late in the evening on Oct. 28 when Cousins was found dead in his cell with wounds on his arms and neck made with a razor blade issued to inmates for shaving. In an Indiana State Prison media release, Superintendent Ron Neal stated that Cousins's death occurred "As a result of an apparent suicide." His body was transported a hospital in Michigan City where an autopsy is to be performed. 

Looking back, Purdue holds the memory of Andrew Boldt with a commitment to prevent atrocities like this in the future. The Purdue administration strives to provide a safe environment for its students, and an event such as this will allow us all to learn and grow and help put an end to senseless acts of violence and terror. It's a shame, however, that a young man with promise of a fulfilling life ahead of him had to pay the ultimate price for it.