Suspect utters 7 chilling words caught by police cam after shooting death arrest
"Well, at least I fulfilled my mission."
Those were the shocking seven words uttered by first-degree murder suspect Murad Dervish as he sat in a University of Arizona police interrogation room. He muttered them to himself just after officers finished reading him his charges in a strange interaction.
Dervish, 46, is accused of shooting his former professor, Thomas Meixner, who was the head of the university's Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. Dervish had been one of Meixner's graduate students.
On October 5, 2022, Dervish allegedly stormed into the campus's Harshbarger Building, which houses the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, at around 2pm and opened fire.
Thomas Meixner was beloved by his students and colleagues (SNBC13)The police are alleging that he used a handgun to shoot the 52-year-old four times in the chest. Meixner was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was the only one injured in the incident, which prompted a campus lockdown.
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Students reported hearing the shots and called 911 to report the incident. They described the suspect at the time as a former student. Arizona state troopers discovered Dervish driving around 193 kilometres (120 miles) northwest of the university's Tucson campus, where the shooting occurred, just a few hours later, according to University of Arizona Police Chief Paula Balafas.
Police tape off the area where Thomas Meixner was shot to death (AP)They stoped him and arrested him, charging him with first-degree murder and aggravated assault, both felonies. He was also charged with possession of a deadly weapon, endangerment and burglary, which are also felonies.
The burglary charge comes from the fact that he had been expelled from the University of Arizona and barred from visiting the campus after reports flooded in that he had harassed and threatened several staff members working in the Harshbarger Building.
He was subsequently read his Miranda rights, according to AZ Family, which state that he has the right to remain silent and that anything he says or does could be used against him in court. They also detail his right to an attorney and note that he doesn't have to speak without one present.
Murad Dervish muttered seven chilling words to himself in an interrogation room (AZ Family)A strange interaction ensued between Dervish and officers once they entered the interrogation room.
"I am charging you with murder in the first degree," a policeman said. "Okay," was Dervish's nonchalant, yet hesitant, response. "You look surprised," the officer said.
The suspect's response was unintelligible, but he wentt on to ask the officers for an attorney, refusing to say more until he has one. He didn't keep that promise for long, however, and jeers at officers with snarky comments.
A policeman told him they have "quite a bit of evidence" against him and that they believe he knows what that evidence is. He responded: "Well, it's a shame we can't talk. We seem like we have a lot in common — going to U of A, living in San Diego."
(University of Arizona)
Murder suspect Murad Dervish uttered 7 chilling words while alone in an interrogation roomThe officer said he wanted to hear Dervish out, adding that the police found a gun in his car when they stopped him near Gila Bend, but Dervish simply said: "I'm sure you would like to hear it. You'll hear my story in court."
Dervish was then left to his own devices, but recording continued — a ploy often used by law enforcement to catch suspects slipping up when they think no one is watching.
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Dervish had been banned from the University of Arizona campus for threatening and harassing employees (University of Arizona Police Dept.)Sure enough, Dervish slipped. It was then that he muttered the chilling phrase: "Well, at least I fulfilled my mission."
And because Dervish had been read his Miranda rights, the statement is likely admissible in court and could prove premeditation — an integral aspect of any first-degree murder case.
Security videos showing the hectic scene inside the Harshbarger Building at the time of the shooting show a man fleeing, then others peaking in and out of offices to assess the threat. About a minute in, law enforcement officials armed with heavy-duty guns stormed the halls, frantically searching for the suspect and ensuring that everyone was safe inside.
That's when they found Meixner's lifeless body and rushed him to a hospital. Several described the professor as a kind and brilliant and said his loss would be a grave one for the science community.
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