What to Know
- Sohan Panjrolia, 31, was arrested in Harvard Square after authorities issued a shelter-in-place alert.
- Panjrolia is accused of fatally shooting his father in front of his mother on Saturday at a home in Philadelphia.
- Panjrolia is expected to be transported to Pennsylvania within 10 business days.
The former Harvard University Extension School student who was arrested in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for allegedly killing his father in Philadelphia pleaded not guilty on a fugitive of justice charge, Wednesday.
Sohan Panjrolia, 31, was arrested near Harvard Square on Tuesday after prompting a multistate manhunt. The suspect is accused of fatally shooting his father in front of his mother on Saturday at a home in Philadelphia’s Bustleton neighborhood, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.
The judge at Cambridge District Court entered the not guilty plea on Panjrolia's behalf Wednesday morning, while the suspect appeared wearing green hospital garb.
"On Saturday, August 3, 2019, a little before 9:30 p.m., the defendant and his father were in their home when the defendant started mumbling unintelligible words, and then began shooting his father. The defendant then fled in his car," Assistant District Attorney April O’Brien said in court.
Police say Panjrolia ditched his car and rented another one.
U.S. Marshals were then notified Tuesday that the suspect may have fled to Cambridge. Local officers spotted the suspect at a Ben & Jerry’s after a Harvard University officer alerted authorities that the suspect’s rental vehicle was spotted at a nearby garage.
Panjrolia was considered "armed and dangerous" and authorities issued a shelter-in-place for Eliot and JFK streets while police sought the suspect. He was arrested without incident.
"They said there were police running down the street with rifles and I'm like, 'what,'" recalled IHOP manager Lorraine Hayes. "They said the suspect had a meal here and then he went to his car in the parking garage and then that's why we were told to lock our doors and our back doors — everything."
Although police treated Panjrolia as if he was armed and dangerous, authorities said there was no gun or any other apparent evidence found in the car following the execution of a search warrant.
Panjrolia's attorney is working on getting him legal representation in Pennsylvania where he is expected to be transported to within 10 business days. His next scheduled court date is Aug. 21.
