A former University of Arizona graduate student convicted of fatally shooting a hydrology professor on campus months after being expelled will serve the remainder of his natural life in jail.
Last month, a Pima County Superior Court jury convicted Murad Dervish of first-degree murder in the killing of Thomas Meixner, who was shot 11 times near his office on October 5, 2022.
Dervish, 48, was also found guilty on five other felony counts, including aggravated assault for a gunshot that grazed a building manager. Dervish was sentenced to 14 years in jail for these acts.
“The man who took my husband’s life will spend the rest of his life in prison – but that doesn’t bring Tom back,” said Kathleen Meixner, Thomas Meixner’s wife. “This punishment will not prevent the next tragedy since nothing has changed in society to allow a man with a violent background to obtain a pistol in the first place. My family deserved better, as does the next family. We need a Red Flag law right now.”
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“This tragic case has had a traumatic impact on the victims and our community as a whole,” a statement from the Pima County Attorney’s Office read. “In honor of the family’s expressed wishes, and under her desire for a safer community, County Attorney Conover will bring her red flag legislation back to the legislature again next year, and for as long as it takes, to bring home common-sense gun safety reforms for a safer and healthier community.”
Jurors debated for less than three hours on May 21 before returning their convictions against Dervish.
Dervish’s attorney stated that his client was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the shooting and urged jurors to consider a lesser charge of second-degree murder, which may have resulted in detention in a psychiatric hospital rather than a jail cell.
However, prosecutors said evidence suggested Dervish plotted Meixner’s death and purchased a 9 mm handgun a month before the shooting.
Meixner, 52, led the university’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. Dervish was in the master’s program for atmospheric sciences. According to authorities, Dervish was prohibited from the school in January 2022 and later dismissed due to persistent disputes with teachers after receiving a poor mark.
According to a criminal complaint, a poster including a photograph of Dervish was distributed to university employees in February 2022, with instructions to phone 911 if Dervish entered the John W. Harshbarger Building, where Meixner worked.
Dervish was also forbidden from school premises, according to the complaint, and there have been multiple allegations of harassment and threats against Harshbarger staff members.
Witnesses claimed that Dervish was disguised with a surgical mask and baseball cap when he arrived outside Meixner’s office and shot the professor.
Dervish left the scene but was apprehended three hours later by Arizona state troopers who halted his automobile on a roadway more than 120 miles (190 kilometers) northwest of Tucson.
Authorities claimed a loaded handgun was discovered in the vehicle, and the ammunition matched the round casings discovered at the shooting location.
During Monday’s sentence hearing, Judge Howard Fell accepted Dervish’s right to appeal his conviction but stated that he is now going away permanently.
“You’ll have the opportunity for some other men and women to determine whether or not the trial was conducted fairly and impartially, and if they do, you’ll have another trial. But for the time being, you will spend the rest of your life in prison, according to 12news.
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