Sentenced to life in prison after murder of AU professor

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 5 minutes read

The man accused of killing a University of Arizona professor in Tucson was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Murad Dervish, 48, was convicted of first-degree murder after fatally shooting Thomas Meixner, head of the university's department of hydrology and atmospheric sciences, on October 5, 2022. The sentence he received Monday will be behind bars for the remainder of his natural life, plus 14 years, without parole.

On May 21, a jury also found him guilty of several other charges, including one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of burglary and three counts of endangerment.

Dervish was a graduate student who was eventually expelled and banned from being on campus. He was accused of threatening Meixner and other university professors and staff for more than a year.

Dervish's lawyer wanted his client convicted unless he was insane, telling the jury that Dervish did not know right from wrong and was psychotic, paranoid and delusional.

The prosecutor from the Pima County Prosecutor's Office argued the killing was premeditated and showed threatening emails and evidence that Dervish planned to kill Meixner in the weeks and months before the shooting.

Family and university ask for life without parole

At sentencing, Meisner's sisters, son and wife spoke about their experiences and all asked that Dervish be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. They spoke of Meixner's kindness and intelligence and his generosity to his community.

One of his sons, Sean Meixner, spoke before the sentencing announcement about his grief, sadness and hatred toward Dervish, saying his life would never be the same without his father. He spoke of feeling like he was waiting to die so he could hold his father again and be free of “the agony of his absence.”

“How could a man who dedicated his life to God and others be taken from this life in the worst way, in pain and fear? Where was God in that? he said.

University representative Celina Ramirez said Meixner was a passionate, world-renowned scholar and kind mentor whose leadership earned the hydrology department a high ranking.

She said the shooting has impacted the mental health of students and university staff, highlighting the challenge for many students and employees returning to campus.

“No legal sanction can ever be enough to fully atone for the intense grief and pain the defendant has inflicted on Dr. Meixner’s family, friends, colleagues, students and university community,” Ramirez said.

But Meixner's sisters specifically criticized the university, as well as the AU police and the person who sold Dervish the gun he used to kill Meixner.

“The University of Arizona failed my brother,” said Margaret Meixner, one of his sisters. “He loved and trusted the University of Alberta, but that trust was misplaced.”

She called the university's police department incompetent and said the police and the university had “her brother's blood on their hands.”

University police, according to a letter from university President Robbert Robbins, twice went to the county attorney's office to substantiate the charges against Dervish. The county attorney declined to file charges due to lack of evidence.

In the months following the shooting, a faculty report found that the university was aware of the threats and failed to implement an effective risk management system to keep people on campus safe.

Another report, written by a consultant hired by the university, offered 33 recommendations to improve security. Since then, the university has implemented numerous security changes and updated its security communications.

Dervish apologizes to Meixner's family, but says trial was unfair

After Meixner's family members gave their victim impact statements, Dervish addressed the judge over his attorney's objection.

Dervish said he was moved to speak out by repeated mentions that he was a monster.

He talked about how he was fascinated by the weather since he was a child and how he was so happy when he entered the University of Arizona.

“I felt like I was in this new, magical place, I was going to study what I had always really wanted to study,” he said, adding that he struggled with addiction, was without sheltered and rejected by the people in his life.

He said his heart was broken because of “what happened.”

“For them to lose him is just horrible. I don't even know what to say to his wife,” Dervish said. “Just saying the word sorry sounds stupid and ugly. This doesn't match… what happened.

He also said “significant errors” were made during the trial, mainly by his own lawyers. He noted that the trial did not get a change of venue and claimed the trial was not fair.

“I have yet to have a fair and impartial trial,” he said.

Pima County Superior Court Judge Howard Fell told him he would have an opportunity for others to look into whether the trial was conducted fairly and impartially.

“Right now, you’re going to prison for the rest of your life,” Fell said.

Dervish threatened and harassed staff before the shooting

The prosecutor said that on the day of the shooting, Dervish entered UA's Harshbarger building shortly before 2 p.m. He chased Meixner down a hallway in the building and into a classroom. Dervish emptied his magazine, shooting Meixner a total of 11 times.

After the shooting, Dervish fled the building, police said. According to the complaint, police found Dervish driving on Highway 85 toward Mexico, 30 miles south of Gila Bend, three hours later.

Documents say Dervish refused to stop, leading police on a chase for two to three miles until his car was successfully stopped.

Dervish's threatening behavior was well known to members of the department and law enforcement prior to the shooting.

During the year before the shooting, Dervish allegedly harassed and threatened staff members working at the Harshbarger building. Some of the threats were anti-Semitic in which Dervish wished all Jews dead and accused Meixner of orchestrating a Jewish-led conspiracy against him, although Meixner was raised Catholic.

Dervish's attorney said his anger toward Meixner stemmed from receiving a low grade on a test.

Before his expulsion from the university, Dervish was not allowed to set foot on university property. Photos of Dervish were distributed throughout the department along with instructions on how and when to call the police. Additionally, the entry passwords for rooms Dervish previously had access to have been changed.

In January, Meixner's family settled a lawsuit against the university for $2.5 million for failing to protect Meixner.

After the judge handed down the sentence, the Pima County Attorney's Office released a statement saying that County Attorney Laura Conover would bring alert legislation back to the Legislature this year, consistent with the wishes of the Meixner family.

“In honor of the family's expressed wishes and as part of their desire for a safer community, County Attorney Conover will bring her red flag legislation back to the Legislature next year, and as long as it takes, to bring home a weapon of common sense. safety reforms for a safer, healthier community,” his office said in a statement.

The laws, backed by Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, allow courts to order the seizure of firearms belonging to people who may pose a threat to themselves or others.

Former Gov. Doug Ducey proposed a similar law, under a different name, in 2018 after 17 students and staff were killed in a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. But the Republican bill was rejected by the Republican-majority legislature.

Contact the journalist at [email protected]. The Republic's coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, by a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation to supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

Family and university ask for life without parole

Dervish apologizes to Meixner's family, but says trial was unfair

Dervish threatened and harassed staff before the shooting

Lina Portman

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