TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Some emotion seemed to touch the man charged with killing University of Arizona Professor Thomas Meixner. Murad Dervish reacted as the Medical Examiner who autopsied Doctor Meixner described the gunshots that killed the beloved UA Professor and Department Head..
Dervish reached for a tissue and wiped his eyes as Doctor David Winston described the damage five bullets left behind as they ripped through Thomas Meixner’s body.
A DPS firearms expert had already testified Dervish had loaded his gun with 9mm +P rounds, a variety with more power than standard nine millimeter ammunition.
Autopsy photos showed how the hollow point projectiles expanded on impact to do even more damage.
Prosecutor Mark Hotchkiss asked Doctor Winston: “This might be a little redundant given the number of gunshot wounds you just described but did you come to a conclusion regarding the cause and manner of death for Doctor Meixner and could you tell the jury what your determination was, sir?”
Dr. David Winston: ”The cause of death, multiple gunshot wounds; the manner of death, homicide.”
An Assistant Chief with University of Arizona Police described his role in a missed opportunity to arrest Dervish well before the shooting.
After he was expelled from the University for a history of threatening behavior, Dervish was forbidden from setting foot on campus. Going on campus could have led to an arrest for trespassing.
Though he was barred from campus, Dervish went to the UA Police Department eight days before the shooting, to ask officers to check the VIN, the vehicle ID number for the van he had just bought. It was the same van he was arrested in after the shooting.
Assistant Chief Robert Sommerfeld testified when Dervish arrived at the police station, police put out a radio call everyone on duty could hear, saying a man named Murad Dervish was in the lobby asking for an officer to use law enforcement databases to VIN check his car to be sure he had not bought a stolen vehicle.
Chief Sommerfeld said no one realized a man forbidden on campus was not only on campus, but in the police station. He said rather than pull an officer out of the field, he did the VIN check himself and sent Dervish on his way.
There was a window into Dervish’s life as his trial continued.
Defense attorneys for Murad Dervish have taken every opportunity to suggest he was so insane he did not know he was doing wrong, while prosecutors key in on evidence that suggests Dervish knew exactly what he was doing.
Morning testimony centered on evidence collected just after the shooting, including photos of the murder scene at UA’s Hydrology and Atmospheric Science Building.
There were also pictures of Dervish's chaotic one room apartment.
Defense attorney Leo Masursky asked UA Police Lieutenant Jorge Casarez questions that pointed out Dervish did not live in a normal environment.
Masursky: “It was filled with trash, is that correct?
Lt. Casarez: Correct.
Masursky: “And there was spoiled food in the refrigerator.”
Lt Casarez: “There was. I recall that.”
Masursky: “And there’s furniture but it’s broken.”
Lt Casarez: “Correct.”
The defense is trying to lay the groundwork for a verdict of guilty except insane. That would require the jury to decide Dervish was unable to tell right from wrong. A verdict of guilty except insane would send Dervish to a mental hospital instead of a prison.
Prosecutors have pointed to Dervish preparations and his attempt to get away as proof he knew he’d committed a crime.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
