'Lost his mind': Defense attorney claims insanity for man accused of killing UA professor
An attorney for the man accused of fatally shooting a University of Arizona professor on campus in 2022 wants his client to be found guilty except insane, telling the jury in closing arguments Monday his client "lost his mind in that moment."
But a prosecutor said evidence in the case showed the killing of Thomas Meixner, the head of the university's Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, on Oct. 5, 2022, was "absolutely" premeditated.
A former student at the university, Murad Dervish is charged with first-degree murder, as well as one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of burglary and three counts of endangerment.
Defense claims insanity, says Dervish 'lost his mind'
The defense said Dervish should be found guilty except insane to second-degree murder. First-degree murder includes premeditation, while second-degree murder does not. If Dervish is found guilty except insane, he could be sentenced to a secure state mental health facility under the Department of Health Services, according to Arizona law.
“He lost his mind in that moment when he encountered Dr. Meixner inside the Harhsbarger building on that afternoon,” said defense attorney Leo Masursky, adding that Dervish has a history of mental illness.
Masursky said Dervish's psychosis stemmed from paranoia and clinical depression, which came from his lifetime of autism and with “some kind of schizoid features.”
He contended the “communications” Dervish made months before the shooting were not a sign of premeditation, as the prosecution claimed, but symptoms of a severe mental illness.
“Dervish was psychotic, he was paranoid, he was delusional … he didn’t know the difference between right and wrong," Masursky said.
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Prosecutors argue killing was premeditated
The prosecution recounted the moments before Meixner was killed, just before 2 p.m., detailing how Meixner ran for his life down a hallway in the Harshbarger Building and into a classroom. Dervish emptied his magazine, in total shooting Meixner 11 times.
Dervish fled the building in a van. Three hours later, he was caught driving on Highway 85 toward Mexico. Dervish refused to stop for police, leading officers on a chase for two to three miles. His car was successfully stopped using a PIT maneuver.
Prosecutor Mark Hotchkiss with the Pima County Attorney’s Office argued in his closing statements the evidence showed Dervish planned to kill Meixner in the weeks and months before the shooting.
"Does the evidence prove that this was a premeditated murder beyond a reasonable doubt? The answer is absolutely," he said.
Hotchkiss pointed to threatening emails and text messages that Dervish sent Meixner and others.
He also walked the jury through Dervish’s actions in the weeks and moments before the shooting, noting that Dervish bought a 9mm handgun a month earlier, and brought the gun on campus that fateful day.
Hotchkiss also argued that Meixner’s last words showed premeditation while Dervish was killing him.
“F****r I knew you were gonna,” Meixner reportedly said before dying.
Dervish was a graduate student who was eventually expelled and prohibited from being on campus. He was accused of threatening Meixner and other faculty and university staff for more than a year.
Masursky said Dervish’s anger toward Meixner stemmed from failing a test while pursuing a master’s degree with the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.
Dervish was afraid of Meixner, Masursksy said, adding that he “perceived Meixner incorrectly.”
“He is distorted in his thinking, he can't make sense of his own interests,” Masursky said.
After the attorneys finished their closing statements, the judge said the jury could begin to deliberate. Jury members will return Tuesday at 9 a.m. to continue deliberations.
Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Attorney claims insanity for man accused of killing Thomas Meixner
