Murad Dervish was found guilty in the Oct. 5, 2022, murder of Thomas Meixner, a UA professor and department head of hydrology and atmospheric sciences. His sentencing is June 24.
Meixner was a “world-renowned leader in biogeochemistry, admired and respected in the water community and by those to whom he was a colleague, professor, mentor, and friend,” according to a statement from UA.
The Meixner family is seeking $9 million. His wife, Kathleen, said losing Tom was terribly difficult. Meixner was shot and killed by Dervish.
“We needed to do it (file the claim) to make sure that this doesn’t happen to any other family again. It’s heartbreaking for us to file a notice of claim against the University of Arizona, which was an institution that Tom loved. But, we also know that to prevent this from happening to anybody else, it was necessary.”
Dervish was found guilty on all charges, including first-degree murder. The Pinal County Attorney’s Office, in a statement, said, “The impact of this case has left a lingering effect on the U of A campus community, the Tucson community, and those who were there when the crime occurred.”
Pima County prosecutors Mark Hotchkiss and Hayley Weigold, PCAO paralegals and staff, PCAO detectives worked with the victim services division.
The community can continue to heal with this guilty verdict, but the work is not nearly done, the PCAO said in a statement. “In honor of the family’s expressed wishes, and under her own desire for a safer community, County Attorney Conover will bring her red flag legislation back to the legislature again next year, and for as long as it takes, to bring home common-sense gun safety reforms for a safer and healthier community.”
This article appears in May 23-30, 2024.