Purdue University shooter gets 65 years, shows no remorse

By Saran Mishra LAFAYETTE Ind. (Reuters) - A former Purdue University student was sentenced on Friday to 65 years in prison for shooting and stabbing to death a fellow engineering senior that he envied, in front of about a dozen students in a lab class in January. Cody Cousins, 24, of Warsaw, Indiana, took the stand at his sentencing hearing and showed no remorse for killing 21-year-old Andrew Boldt, who was shot at least five times and stabbed 19 times, including in the face and neck. Cousins, who previously pleaded guilty to the murder, told Tippecanoe County Superior Court Judge Thomas Busch he had faked mental illness in interviews with court-appointed doctors. "I killed Andrew Boldt because I wanted to, and in general I do what I want," Cousins said, prompting public defender Kirk Freeman to counter: "He's so sick he may not know he's sick." Freeman argued mental illness should be a mitigating factor in Cousins' sentence. Judge Busch said he could not find that Cousins was mentally ill at the time of the murder and said it was a crime of envy and hate. "He's not remorseful. He's proud," said public prosecutor Patrick Harrington, who sought a 65-year sentence for Cousins, who after the murder told the other students he was done, walked out of the classroom and waited for police to arrive. The murder near midday on a snowy day terrified students who heard the shots and then barricaded themselves into classrooms while police made sure there was not a mass shooter on campus. Boldt's parents both took the stand to beg Busch for a maximum sentence. "What did he do to make you so mad? Why did you do it?" Mary Boldt asked Cousins. Cousins' mother, Wendy Melancon, a mental health professional, also took the stand and told the judge her son had a history of depression. (Writing by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)