In the trial of a former University of Arizona graduate student accused of killing a professor on campus two years ago, the prosecution and defense presented contrasting arguments during closing statements on Monday. Murad Dervish, 48, faces seven felony charges, including first-degree murder, in the death of Thomas Meixner, 52, who was fatally shot near his office in October 2022.
Pima County prosecutor Mark Hotchkiss asserted that the crime was premeditated, citing evidence that Dervish purchased a 9 mm handgun a month before the shooting. “This was not a one-shot deal. He shot him 11 times. He emptied that gun,” Hotchkiss said, emphasizing that the evidence proved the murder was premeditated.
In contrast, defense attorney Leo Masursky argued that Dervish was in the midst of a psychotic episode at the time of the shooting and that the killing was not premeditated. Masursky stated, “Murad Dervish lost his mind on Oct. 5, 2022.
He had severe mental health issues. He did not know right from wrong.” The defense maintained that Dervish is “guilty except insane to second-degree murder,” which could result in his confinement to a psychiatric hospital instead of a prison if convicted.
Meixner, who headed the university’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences and was an expert on desert water issues, had previously banned Dervish from the school in January 2022 and later expelled him for ongoing issues with professors after he received a bad grade.
A flyer with Dervish’s photograph had been circulated to university staff in February 2022, instructing them to call 911 if he entered the John W. Harshbarger Building, which houses the hydrology department.
Witnesses testified that Dervish, wearing a surgical mask and baseball cap as a disguise, showed up outside Meixner’s office and shot the professor. He then fled and was arrested hours later by Arizona state troopers who stopped his car more than 120 miles northwest of Tucson. A loaded handgun was found in the vehicle, and the ammunition matched the shell casings found at the shooting scene.
Psychologist Gavin Baker, who evaluated Dervish after the shooting, testified that he diagnosed him with various disorders, including schizophrenia and major depression, and that Dervish was paranoid and delusional.
Throughout the nine-day trial, Dervish made several requests, including asking for different defense attorneys, seeking to be treated as co-counsel, and moving for a mistrial, all of which were denied by Judge Howard Fell of the Pima County Superior Court.
Jurors are set to begin deliberations on Tuesday morning to determine the fate of Murad Dervish and whether the killing of Professor Thomas Meixner was a premeditated act or the result of a psychotic episode.
Credit: APnews.com
