Former University of Arizona Graduate Student Sentenced to Life for Campus Professor's Murder
In Tucson, Arizona, a former University of Arizona graduate student received a life sentence without parole on Monday for fatally shooting a hydrology professor on campus, months after his expulsion.
Murad Dervish, 48, was found guilty of first-degree murder by a Pima County jury last month for the killing of Thomas Meixner, 52, who chaired the university’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. The shooting occurred on October 5, 2022, when Meixner was shot 11 times near his office.
Dervish had been banned from the university in January 2022 and subsequently expelled due to ongoing issues with professors following a poor grade. He was also convicted on five other felony counts, including aggravated assault for grazing a building manager with a bullet.
During the trial, Dervish’s defense attorney argued that his client was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of the shooting, advocating for a lesser charge of second-degree murder that could have led to psychiatric confinement rather than prison.
Prosecutors, however, presented evidence suggesting Dervish had planned the killing, including purchasing a 9 mm handgun a month before the incident. A flyer with Dervish’s photo had been circulated among university staff in February 2022, warning them to call 911 if he was seen at the John W. Harshbarger Building, where Meixner worked.
Witnesses testified that Dervish wore a surgical mask and baseball cap as a disguise when he approached Meixner’s office and opened fire before fleeing. He was apprehended three hours later by Arizona state troopers on a highway over 120 miles northwest of Tucson, with a loaded handgun in his vehicle matching the ammunition used in the shooting.
Kathleen Meixner, Thomas Meixner’s widow, expressed mixed emotions after the sentencing, acknowledging the justice served while lamenting the profound loss suffered by her family, the University of Arizona, and the broader community.
A Pima County Superior Court jury last month found Murad Dervish guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Thomas Meixner, who was shot 11 times near his office.
