Pima County Attorney’s Office Responds to Scrutiny in UA Shooting Case | Media Pyro

Tucson, Ariz. (Cold News 13) – The Pima County Attorney’s Office is responding to criticism after the office decided not to charge former student Murad Derwish for threats police say he made to University of Arizona professors.

A new report provides more insight into the text messages and emails Derwish allegedly sent to university employees leading up to the attack.

Deputy Chief Baird Green of the Pima County Attorney’s Office said they did not have enough evidence to charge Dervish before the Oct. 5 shooting.

“There was not enough evidence in any of the submissions we received from the University of Arizona Police Department that he was threatened or intimidated,” Green said of his office’s decision.

He said Dervish had a “generalized desire” to do harm but showed no evidence of intent to act. Dervish had four no-contact orders for faculty members in the hydrology department, including the professor he allegedly killed, Dr. including Thomas Meixner.

Green went on to say that a case for torture “could probably have been made.” However, that’s not what he was asked to investigate at the time, “Even if we look at the harassment charges and bring him to court, at most, he’s facing a misdemeanor. There was no possibility of jail time.

In March, emails to the dean of students’ office showed that “communication appears to be escalating” between Dervish and professors.

In text messages sent in May, Dervish wrote “Do you really think you’re going to get away with it?” A few days later he texted back, “I hope someone blows you off (detailed) Brains out.”

Green said that’s not enough evidence either because he doesn’t say he was going to do it himself.

“The expectation that something bad will happen to someone is not the actor’s threat in this case, Mr. Dervish,” Green said. “Expectation of harm to another does not constitute a threat of physical harm to the victim in that case.”

Dervish is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree robbery, possession of a deadly weapon and reckless endangerment of three individuals during the attack.

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