TUCSON, AZ — A new outside report details numerous failures by the University of Arizona to protect their professor who was murdered on campus.
Police say Professor Thomas Meixner was shot and killed by a former grad student, Murad Dervish, on Oct. 5, 2022.
Dervish had been expelled and banned from campus, but the report states he continued to harass and threaten faculty and staff for a year before the "targeted mass attack."
The report states employees repeatedly plead for help and action from university leadership, police, and safety teams - but their requests were either ignored or not acted upon appropriately. The outside expert concluded that "shocking and disturbing, [but] not unforeseeable."
University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins acknowledged Monday the outside report is damning.
"As this report reveals, there were systemic issues at this university. I'm angry I didn't do more to prevent this tragedy," said President Robbins.
The report author concluded, among other issues, that the university had an ineffective Threat Assessment and Management Team, a neglected crisis response plan, and that UAPD missed multiple opportunities to disrupt or arrest Dervish prior to the murder.
"The University of Arizona had a chance to save Tom and it did not act," said Larry Wulkan, one of the attorneys representing Professor Meixner's widow and two sons.
This week the family filed a $9-million Notice of Claim against the university.
"Tom was shot in front of witnesses. His last words to his murderer, 'I knew you were going to do this,'" said Wulkan, citing witness statements. "I've never seen a case where a defendant knew that a murder was going to happen and didn't do anything to try to prevent it."
Robbins said the university has already made changes since October to "make campus safer" and said his team plans to implement all of the report's suggestions.
Everyone knows though, the changes will not bring back Professor Meixner.
"It's too little too late," said Wulkan.
"Everyone needs to hold me accountable," said Robbins. "We have to work together to make our campus safer to honor Meixner - and we will. A lot of work to do."
The suspect is set to have his murder trial later this year in September.
