The trial of former University of Arizona graduate student Murad Dervish began on Tuesday, facing seven felony charges including first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his former professor Thomas Meixner. Prosecutors have alleged that Dervish showed premeditation and intent in the 2022 shooting, which took place inside a campus building. Meixner, the head of the university’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, was shot nine times on October 5, 2022. Dervish had previously been a graduate student in the hydrology program but was banned from the school in January 2022 and later expelled due to ongoing issues with professors after receiving a bad grade.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Haley Weigold told jurors in her opening statement that the case is not about whether Dervish pulled the trigger, but rather the intentional killing of Professor Meixner and knowing right from wrong. The defense team for Dervish has chosen to wait to make a statement until after the state rests its case, and they may be considering an insanity defense. Weigold argued that Dervish’s fleeing the scene after the shooting indicates that he was aware that the criminal act was wrong.
Following the shooting, Dervish was arrested by Arizona state troopers on a highway more than 120 miles northwest of Tucson. A loaded 9 mm handgun was found in his vehicle, with ammunition consistent with shell casings found at the shooting scene. According to a criminal complaint, a flyer with Dervish’s photograph had been circulated to university staff in February 2022 with instructions to call 911 if he ever entered the building where the hydrology department was located. Dervish had been barred from school property and was the subject of multiple reports of harassment and threats towards staff members.
Lawyers representing Meixner’s family stated that Dervish had threatened the professor in the past and had entered the building without being stopped or followed. University President Robert Robbins revealed that campus police had attempted to press charges against Dervish before the shooting, but were told there was not enough evidence by Pima County prosecutors. Meixner’s family filed a $9 million notice of claim against the university, alleging failure to protect him and the rest of the community. The university and the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s public universities, reached a $2.5 million settlement with Meixner’s family in January.
The trial of Murad Dervish is expected to last two weeks in Pima County Superior Court as prosecutors present evidence of premeditation and intent in the fatal shooting of Thomas Meixner. Dervish’s actions following the shooting, including fleeing the scene and being found with a weapon consistent with the crime, have led to allegations of guilt. The defense team may be considering an insanity defense, but prosecutors argue that Dervish knew right from wrong based on his actions. The case has raised questions about the university’s handling of prior complaints against Dervish and the steps taken to protect faculty and students from potential harm.
