The Unsolved Murder Beatrix Chevelle

In January of 2006 a first year student disappeared from the campus of Rochester Technical School. Her name was Beatrix Chevelle. The facts suggest homicide but the University denies the incident altogether. But what really happened to Beatrix Chevelle? Some students feel safe on campus, some don't, some don't even know about the murder. Beatrix Chevelle was a first year Information Technology student enrolled at RIT in January 2005. She graduated from East Syracuse High School in June 2005 graduating second in her class. By all accounts she was a friendly bright young woman with a brilliant future. Her former roommate, Jennifer Morgan, says she was smart, funny , and pretty. One of her friends, Miranda July, says she was really cool, and that she was really smart. Her parents, John and Arnolda Chevelle, say that she was a really great student, very athletic like her Mom and very smart like her Dad, very popular, and very pretty. Another of her friend's, Sofia Coppola, also says she was smart and funny.

Such a promising young lady. What on earth went wrong? January 18th 2006, started like any other day. Beatrix got up and ate breakfast at the student Alumni Union. She then went to class. Programming at 1:00 PM and Cyber Self Defense at 3:00 PM. At 6:00 PM she had dinner at Grace Watkins Hall with her roommates. Then at 7:00 PM she went to go study at the Fireside Lounge. It's unclear exactly how Beatrix died since no reports from the brief investigation were ever released. Her death certificate states that she fell to her death and suffered a crushed skull with internal bleeding. Some folks have reconstructed the events leading up to her death. She was sitting in the lounge studying when she decided to step outside for a breath of air. She walked outside onto the balcony of the building conveniently out of sight. Her assailant must have dashed up the stairs in the shadows and threw her off the balcony onto the ground below. But why is accurate information about this heinous crime so hard to come by?

Fearing that a murderer on campus would steer potential customers away from their doors, University officials have tried to cover it up. A handful of students aware of the situation were threatened with expulsion. The faculty were told to deny any knowledge of the event. If they talked to anyone they would lose their jobs. An anonymous Informant says that when he reported the body to Campus Security he was asked who else he had told and was then told if he told anyone else they would expel him and would not recommend him to any other colleges. All records of her existence have been erased from their system and all documents mentioning her were shredded within a few weeks of her death. Beatrix' Parents were also involved in the cover up. The University pays them a hefty sum to keep quiet about her death. In an interview, they insisted their Daughter was still alive and well at a University in Belgium.

Last February her parents moved from their small home outside Syracuse to a much larger home overlooking Lake Ontario. Was this lavish new home paid for with money from RIT to cover up the crime. Jennifer Morgan roomed with Beatrix for the first half of the 2006 school year. She says she wasn't told of the incident. She says that a couple of men walked in one day with latex gloves and got all her things. She assumed she moved out. Her other friends were also kept in the dark. They say she just disappeared one day without a trace. So why hasn't anyone been convicted or even arrested in this case? One of the three suspects in the case is Beatrix' roommate Jennifer Morgan. She comes under suspicion because of the benefits she receives: A 4.0 GPA for the quarter and a room all to herself. Also under suspicion is Danial Catalarow, Beatrix' ex boyfriend. After the two broke up, shortly before Christmas break, Daniel was reportedly very erratic. None of her friends liked Daniel very much and claim he was "weird".

Mere days after the incident, Daniel Left RIT to go study at Texas A & M University. The third suspect is Timothy Sweeney, a second year RIT student. Timothy and Beatrix shared a programming course together during their first quarter. Timothy was very competitive but struggled to keep up with Beatrix grades. He once flipped out when they compared grades on a test when he found out she got a point better than he did. He still lives on campus and recently received an Stevens Scholarship For Academic Excellence in the Information Technology field. The tragedy surrounding the death of this bright young woman is unspeakable. She was just starting her life at this seemingly innocuous University when she was quite literally cast into the darkness. The University's cover up of the incident just adds to the tragedy. The failure of them to acknowledge the loss of this student is staggeringly irresponsible. And what of her murderer, will anyone ever find her killer?

Was it her roommate, Jennifer Morgan, her ex boyfriend, Daniel Catalarow, or her classmate, Timothy Sweeney? We may never know. And that is why this case is a mystery and remains unsolved.