Former University of Arizona (UA) graduate student Murad Dervish was sentenced on Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for shooting and killing his former hydrology professor, Dr. Thomas Meixner, in 2022.
In May, a jury took only three hours to find Dervish, 48, guilty of first degree murder, burglary, aggravated assault, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor and endangerment, reports KGUN. His attorneys had sought a “guilty except insane” verdict.
An independent review of the shooting alleged UA had security failures that led to the attack. The report found the school’s Threat Assessment Management Team (TATM) was run inefficiently, leading to multiple opportunities for the shooter to continue to harass and threaten UA community members.
Related Article: So, You Want To Be A Threat Assessment Manager?
The report also outlined many faults in law enforcement’s response to Dervish’s behavior before the attack, finding there were “multiple missed opportunities by UAPD to engage, disrupt, or arrest [Dervish] prior to the incident.”
Shooter Sent Threatening Messages to Victim and UA Community Before Attack
Campus officials knew that the shooter had a violent criminal record and was barred from campus in early 2022. He also sent Meixner and others distressing messages for months before the shooting.
The independent review also found failures in the school’s crisis response and identified flaws in how UA communicated internally and with the community, including issues with the UAlert system.
Following the release of the report, UA Police Chief Paula Balafas, as well as UA Provost Liesl Folks stepped down from their positions.
In January Meixner’s family reached a multi-million-dollar settlement with UA over the school’s handling of Dervish before the shooting.
UA has also agreed to implement 33 security improvements recommended by the independent review, including:
- Hiring a dedicated president for the school’s Threat Assessment Management Team (TATM)
- Expanding safety training to individuals and units
- Automatically registering all students and staff to receive campus alerts
- Improved interagency cooperation
- A centralized security camera policy
- Installing fire and safety-compliant locks on classroom doors
- Expanding keyless access to buildings
- Running criminal background checks on graduate students
