Tucson court to hear Murad Dervish appeal in murder case | Local News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – The man convicted of killing a University of Arizona professor in 2022 will be back in court. Oral arguments for Murad Dervish’s appeal are set to take place later this month.

The appeal of Murad Dervish, is moving forward with oral arguments scheduled for March 17. 

The oral argument will take place at the Court of Appeals in Tucson, with each side allocated 25 minutes to present their case. 

Dervish, sentenced in June 2024, was found guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Thomas Meixner. 

Dervish was facing six other felony charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor, endangerment and burglary.

Meixner, head of the University of Arizona’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, was shot on October 5, 2022, at the John W. Harshbarger Building. Dervish, a graduate student in the same department, was convicted nearly two years later.