Murad Dervish, 48, found guilty of murder in slaying of University of Arizona professor Thomas Meixner

A jury on Tuesday found the man accused of fatally shooting a University of Arizona professor on campus in 2022 guilty of murder after just under three hours of deliberation.

The jury also found him guilty of a slew of other charges, including one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of burglary and three counts of endangerment.

Murad Dervish, 48, was found guilty of first-degree murder after he shot Thomas Meixner, the head of the university's Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, on Oct. 5, 2022.

Meixner's widow, Kathleen, broke down in tears after the judge read out the jury verdict. A group of people surrounded Kathleen and hugged her, with one saying: "We got justice for him."

Previously: Report slams UA handling of threats before professor's death

Dan South, an attorney representing Meixner's family, echoed that sentiment.

"The family feels like justice was served," he said.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 24 at 1:30 p.m.

Dervish was a graduate student who was eventually expelled and prohibited from being on campus. He was accused of threatening Meixner and other faculty and university staff for more than a year.

During the trial, the prosecution led by the Pima County Attorney's Office recounted the moments before Meixner was killed, just before 2 p.m., detailing how Meixner ran for his life down a hallway in the Harshbarger Building and into a classroom. Dervish emptied his magazine, in total shooting Meixner 11 times.

Dervish fled the building in a van. Three hours later, he was caught driving on Highway 85 toward Mexico. Dervish refused to stop for police, leading officers on a chase for two to three miles. His car was successfully stopped using a PIT maneuver.

Dervish's attorney wanted his client to be found guilty except insane, telling the jury in closing arguments Monday his client "lost his mind in that moment."

Reach the reporter at [email protected]. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Murad Dervish found guilty of slaying UA professor Thomas Meixner