Psychotic Episode or Premeditation? Trial Begins for Arizona Grad Student Accused of Professor’s Murder

A former University of Arizona graduate student accused of killing a professor on campus two years ago was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the shooting, his lawyer said Monday.

However, in his closing argument, the prosecutor claimed that the crime was premeditated and that Murad Dervish planned the murder of Thomas Meixner, who was fatally shot near his office and pronounced dead at a Tucson hospital.

Pima County Superior Court Judge Howard Fell informed jurors that deliberations will begin Tuesday morning.

Dervish, 48, is facing seven felony charges, including first-degree murder, in the death of Meixner, 52.

“This wasn’t a one-time deal. He shot him eleven times. “He emptied that gun,” Pima County prosecutor Mark Hotchkiss said, adding that evidence indicated Dervish purchased a 9 mm handgun a month before the October 2022 shooting.

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“Does the evidence show that this was a premeditated murder?” The answer is ‘certainly,” Hotchkiss told the jury.

Defense counsel Leo Masursky told jurors that the killing was not premeditated and that Dervish is “guilty except insane to second-degree murder” — which could land him in a psychiatric hospital rather than a prison cell if convicted.

“Murad Dervish lost his mind on Oct. 5, 2022,” Masursky said in his closing argument. “He had serious mental health concerns. He didn’t know right from wrong.”

However, Hotchkiss stated that Dervish is “not guilty, but insane.” “He’s just guilty.”

Meixner oversaw the university’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences and was an authority on desert water concerns.

Dervish was pursuing a master’s degree in atmospheric sciences at the Department of Hydrology and 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.

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According to the criminal complaint, a flier containing a photograph of Dervish was distributed to university workers in February 2022, instructing them to phone 911 if he entered the John W. Harshbarger Building, which houses the hydrology department.

According to the lawsuit, Dervish was forbidden from school property and had been the subject of multiple accusations of harassment and threats to Harshbarger employees.

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 fled, but was apprehended hours later after Arizona state troopers stopped his automobile on a route 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.

Gavin Baker, a psychologist, examined Dervish following the shooting and testified that he diagnosed him with a variety of diseases, including schizophrenia and significant depression. He also claimed Dervish was neurotic and insane.

During his nine-day trial, Dervish requested alternative defense attorneys, demanded to be treated as co-counsel, and moved for a mistrial. Fell denied all.