Prosecutor says Arizona grad student planned 2022 professor murder

A former University of Arizona graduate student, Murad Dervish, is facing first-degree murder charges for the killing of professor Thomas Meixner on campus two years ago. Dervish’s attorney claims he was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the shooting, while the prosecutor argues that the crime was premeditated.

In a dramatic trial, Pima County Superior Court Judge Howard Fell informed jurors that deliberations will commence the following day. The prosecutor, Mark Hotchkiss, presented evidence that Dervish purchased a handgun a month prior to the shooting and shot Meixner 11 times, indicating premeditation.

Dervish’s defense attorney, Leo Masursky, argued that his client was not in his right mind and should be considered “guilty except insane to second-degree murder.” Meixner, a respected expert in desert water issues, was the head of the university’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.

As the trial unfolded, details emerged about Dervish’s troubled history at the university, including expulsion and a ban from school property due to issues with professors. Witnesses testified to Dervish’s disguise during the shooting and his subsequent arrest on a highway hours later.

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