Indian-origin Subramaniam Vedam 'Subu', who spent 43 years in prison for the murder of his roommate, has been acquitted by a US court. But a day after his acquittal, he has been rearrested.
What you should know
A US court has acquitted Indian-origin Subramaniam Vedam 'Subu', who spent 43 years in prison for the murder of his roommate.
In 1980, Wedam was arrested for the murder of his classmate and roommate, 19-year-old Thomas Kinsher, in Ruler Center County, Pennsylvania, USA. Thomas's body was found in the woods nine months later with a gunshot wound.
After being arrested for the murder of his friend Thomas, Wedam pleaded not guilty in 1983. After being sentenced to life in prison in the first trial in 1983, he appeared in the Supreme Court for the second time in 1988, claiming his innocence, but he was convicted a second time. Wedam was convicted twice, in 1983 and 1988, and spent 43 years in prison from 1983 to 2025.
While the investigation is ongoing, in 2022, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project found new facts about the murder, and in August 2025, when it was decided that Vedam's rights were being violated in the absence of evidence to convict him, further investigation into his case was moved forward in September. Vedam's final trial, on October 2, was acquitted after 43 years, and he was released from prison.
Vedam was arrested again a day after being acquitted of murder after 43 years in prison. On October 3, he was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE arrested him as an illegal immigrant because his green card (permanent resident certificate) was confiscated during the murder trial. ICE has initiated the process of deporting him to India after his arrest.
According to Vedam's sister Saraswati, the family is ready to face the case again, saying that even if he is found innocent after 43 years, arresting and deporting him to India is another injustice. She claimed that she would fight the deportation order, saying that Subu had come to America as a child, had no connection to India, and that his lifestyle was incompatible with hers.
