Former Arizona University Student Sentenced to Life in Prison for Professor's Murder

A former University of Arizona graduate student has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting his professor 11 times.

Last month, a Pima County jury convicted Murad Dervish, 48, of first-degree murder in the death of Thomas Meixner, head of the university's department of hydrology and atmospheric sciences, the AP reported.

Dervish was also convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and three counts of reckless endangerment.

The jury took less than three hours to return a guilty verdict on May 21, the AP reported.

Last week, High Court Judge Howard Fell sentenced Dervish to life in prison, plus an additional 14 years, without the possibility of parole.

On October 5, 2022, Dervish entered the Harshbarger Building on the university campus shortly before 2 p.m., USA Today reported. He chased Meixner down the hallway and into a classroom, where he shot the professor 11 times before fleeing the scene.

Dervish's lawyer said the motive for the shooting came from Dervish's anger after receiving a bad grade from Meixner.

At the time of the murder, Dervish was reportedly expelled from the university and banned from campus due to ongoing problems with his professors.

At the sentencing, Margaret Meixner, the victim's sister, criticised the university for not doing enough to protect the professor.

“The University of Arizona failed my brother,” she said, according to USA Today. “He loved the University of Arizona and trusted it, but that trust was misplaced.”

Meixner's family settled a lawsuit against the university for $2.5 million in January, according to the AP.

After the sentencing, Meixner's wife, Kathleen, released the following statement:

“The man who killed my husband will spend the rest of his life in prison, but that won’t bring Tom back. My sons will never see their father again in this life. The University of Arizona has lost a valuable professor. The community has lost a brilliant scientist.”