GUILTY TX - Haruka Weiser, 18, found murdered, UT-Austin campus, 3 April 2016 *Arrest*

[MzOpinion8d]

I don't think it does either plus people rob when the opportunity is right and the girl's bike could have been the easiest one to take at the time.

What his family says is a little confusing. One says he is slow and the other said he is highly intelligent.

We seem to see a lot of family members lately of murderers who immediately come out and say they are mentally ill and when it goes to court it turns out not to be so and they are not ruled mentally insane by judicial standards but are found fit to stand trial. There are many people who are in prison locked away forever or even on death row who have some type of mental illness even the conditions he is said to have.

With him trying to burn some of the evidence it shows he did know what he did was wrong.

IMO

The largest percentage of people with a mental illness are not bad enough to be considered "insane". My son is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. He tried to kill me by stabbing me with a pair of scissors about 6 months ago. If he had succeeded, he would have been competent to stand trial because he knew it was wrong. He's still currently facing felony charges in juvenile court for this incident.

No one was really surprised by this incident, yet he is nearly always described as a really nice, well behaved, cooperative kid. Which is accurate, but he's a nice, well behaved, cooperative kid with mental issues that have caused him to snap momentarily.

 

[tlcya]

I agree....though I think it was an instructor or classmate who called to report her, not the roommate? Am I mis-remembering?

(I am in no way finding fault with the roommate. The sole person at fault is in police custody.)

I had only read the roommate reported her missing

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/04/austin_police_chief_confident.html

An affidavit released by police Friday revealed that Weiser had called friend Sylvia Feghali at 9.30 pm and advised she was on the way home from her class at the F Loren Winship Drama Building located on East 23rd Street and San Jacinto blvd.


Texas PD received a call the following morning from her friend Sylvia to say she hadn't come home. She had been wearing a long sleeve black mock turtle neck shirt, black stretch pants and brown Doc Martin shoes.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...y-murdered-creek-University-Texas-campus.html

 

[Inthedetails]

Roommate reported her missing.
"Weiser never arrived at her dorm or made it to class the next morning, and a roommate reported Weiser as missing on Monday, Gay said."
http://www.mystatesman.com/news/new...dead-is-ut-freshman-haruka-weiser-poli/nq2TF/

Thank you! I don't know why, but that detail was eluding me.

 

[Bootsctr]

The largest percentage of people with a mental illness are not bad enough to be considered "insane". My son is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. He tried to kill me by stabbing me with a pair of scissors about 6 months ago. If he had succeeded, he would have been competent to stand trial because he knew it was wrong. He's still currently facing felony charges in juvenile court for this incident.

No one was really surprised by this incident, yet he is nearly always described as a really nice, well behaved, cooperative kid. Which is accurate, but he's a nice, well behaved, cooperative kid with mental issues that have caused him to snap momentarily.

:grouphug: :heartbeat: ((((hugs))))) for you and your son.

 

[tlcya]

Haruka Weiser's closest friends gathered Sunday morning to remember the young woman they described as passionate about dance, her family and friends.


Grief-stricken, the women recalled how Weiser served as the "string" that knitted them together with her infectious enthusiasm for life. The girls knew Weiser from high school or through dance. Weiser was a 2015 graduate of the Arts & Communications Magnet Academy in Beaverton.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/04/haruka_weiser_remembered_as_pa.html

 

[tlcya]

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The lives of Beaverton's Haruka Weiser and the teenage suspect in her killing differed dramatically.


Weiser, an 18-year-old University of Texas student, grew up in a tight-knit community where she attended an arts magnet school and danced with the Portland Ballet.


By contrast, Meechaiel Khalil Criner, the 17-year-old runaway arrested in her death, was intellectually disabled, abandoned by his mother as an infant and in Texas foster care, his great-uncle, Leo Criner, told The Associated Press on Saturday.


Authorities say Weiser and Criner's lives intersected violently on UT's Austin campus, leaving Weiser dead in a creek on school grounds Tuesday and Criner jailed two days later in Travis County on a $1 million bond.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/04/haruka_weiser_and_meechaiel_cri.html

 

[Cricket99]

Compared to most cases her at WS, LE apprehended this POI very quickly. Kudos to LE!!

 

[wildebeest]

My deepest sympathies to the Weiser family in the loss of their beautiful daughter.

I have one question: Since a 17 year old is still technically a child, and definitely a minor, who was responsible for him? It seems someone should have known where he was, what he was doing, and or getting him the help he so desparately needed.

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

Regarding what you posted and what I bolded-would that be a Texas House Bill 4-and did it pass? If so could you please post the year the Bill was introduced-most of all did it pass? Not trying to be smart with you. Always trying to learn something here at Websleuths.
Thanks,

I don't know, but the Supreme Court rulings prohibiting death penalty and LWOP for minors trumps state law. The Texas bill was intended to update their law to conform to the Supreme Court rulings. Whether it actually passed or not is irrelevant... just like the Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage made state laws on the matter irrelevant.

ETA Yes, that would be a Texas House bill.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[Foxfire]

Compared to most cases her at WS, LE apprehended this POI very quickly. Kudos to LE!!

I agree Cricket99, kudos to LE for sharing the security camera footage and utilizing their most valuable investigative resource; the American public. Awareness is the key in missing/murdered person investigations, especially those more rare cases involving stranger on stranger abductions..

 

[BrownRice]

My deepest sympathies to the Weiser family in the loss of their beautiful daughter.

I have one question: Since a 17 year old is still technically a child, and definitely a minor, who was responsible for him? It seems someone should have known where he was, what he was doing, and or getting him the help he so desparately needed.

He ran away, so was under the radar from everyone apparently.

 

[Foxfire]

I'm confused about the timeline.

Haruka had an event/class on Sunday evening and texted her roommate (or is it a student friend?) around 9:30'ish stating she was leaving.

Criner was picked up on Monday by LE and brought to the homeless shelter. They were not aware of a missing person at this point.

Why the delay? Wouldn't the person Haruka texted be concerned at some point that night? Why not call LE then? And I thought I read somewhere that the UT police were notified first. Considering she was found right between her dorm and the last place she was seen - what took so long to find her?

I have been thinking this from the beginning and keep forgetting to ask.

Many of the answers to everyone's questions are contained in the Meechaiel Criner Arrest Affidavit..
https://www.scribd.com/doc/307472020/Meechaiel-Criner-arrest-affidavit

 

[mrsu]

http://dailym.ai/1qBzC0Z

 

[Bootsctr]

Many of the answers to everyone's questions are contained in the Meechaiel Criner Arrest Affidavit..
https://www.scribd.com/doc/307472020/Meechaiel-Criner-arrest-affidavit

Yes, the timeline can be easily constructed from the affidavit:

Murder (PC19.02) - First Degree Felony

1. 04/03/2016 (Sunday): Haruka Weiser placed a phone to her friend @ approximately 2130 hours, to advise she was "on the way" following conclusion of her class.

A. The suspect initially arrived at approximately 9:20 pm. The suspect continued to look around the area and then got back on the bike to leave this location.

B. The video then showed him returning to the van at approximately 9:38 pm. As the suspect returned to the location on his bike, the figure of a female dressed all in
black and looking at her cell phone could be seen walking toward the alumni center. As the figure passed the suspect and continues toward the bridge, the
suspect watched her, puts the kickstand down on the bike, reaches into the back of his pants with his left hand and pulled out what appeared to be a shiny, rigid
object. The suspect then followed the female across the bridge and onto the sidewalk that extends behind Alumni center and runs along the west bank of Waller
Creek.

C. The suspect is not seen again until 11:47 p.m.

2. 04/04/2016 (Monday): At 1102 hours, The University of Texas Police Department received the report of a missing person when Haruka Weiser did not show up for her Monday morning classes at Austin, Travis County, Texas.

3. 04/05/2016 (Tuesday): At approximately 9:45am, UTPD began to canvas and search the area Haruka Weiser was known to walk. While searching the area, they found the remains of a young female with obvious trauma to her body. The Austin Police Homicide Unit was notified by UTPD personnel that a deceased female of comparable stature was discovered behind the UT Etter-Harbin Alumni Center at 2110 San Jacinto Boulevard in Austin, Travis County, Texas.

4. 04/05/2016 (Tuesday): At 1045 hours, the body later identified as that of Haruka Weiser, was pronounced deceased by Austin-Travis County EMS Medical Director, Dr. Ackrell.

5. 04/06/2016 (Wednesday): The autopsy of Haruka Weiser was conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner's office. Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns noted obvious trauma to the victim's body and ruled the death as homicide.

As the investigators continued the investigation, UTPD detectives began to look at surveillance video along the route that Weiser usually took from Winship Hall to her dorm near 21st street. While reviewing the surveillance video from the College of Liberal Arts building, they observed a suspicious black male ride up on a red or pink women's bicycle attempting to open the doors of a van that was parked in the bay area.

 

[neesaki]

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The lives of Beaverton's Haruka Weiser and the teenage suspect in her killing differed dramatically.


Weiser, an 18-year-old University of Texas student, grew up in a tight-knit community where she attended an arts magnet school and danced with the Portland Ballet.


By contrast, Meechaiel Khalil Criner, the 17-year-old runaway arrested in her death, was intellectually disabled, abandoned by his mother as an infant and in Texas foster care, his great-uncle, Leo Criner, told The Associated Press on Saturday.


Authorities say Weiser and Criner's lives intersected violently on UT's Austin campus, leaving Weiser dead in a creek on school grounds Tuesday and Criner jailed two days later in Travis County on a $1 million bond.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/04/haruka_weiser_and_meechaiel_cri.html

"I refuse to believe he just maliciously killed this young lady," the uncle said in a phone interview from Texarkana, where he lives. "This kid don't know nothing about killing. His mind don't compute like that."

I feel compassion for the family, and for Criner's circumstances as well. But in spite of the family's denial, he obviously knew something "about killing" as that's clearly what he did which he unfortunately accomplished much too easily. I also question whether she was his first victim.

The fact is, that Haruka was his victim, Criner was not hers, but I suppose the family is trying to make excuses now in their attempt to absolve themselves of some of their feelings of guilt and responsibilty.

Many of us have had less than ideal circumstances growing up, myself included. We all also have our own personal demons to contend with, mentally and emotionally, but in the end It all boils down to a personal choice. On the other hand If Criner is in fact deemed mentally ill, then hopefully he will go away to a mental facility for the remainder of his life. But if not, then to prison LWOP. JMO

 

[MzOpinion8d]

My deepest sympathies to the Weiser family in the loss of their beautiful daughter.

I have one question: Since a 17 year old is still technically a child, and definitely a minor, who was responsible for him? It seems someone should have known where he was, what he was doing, and or getting him the help he so desparately needed.

I believe I read he had run away from a group home or foster home, so it sounds like he was in the custody of DCF.

 

[BrownRice]

Yes, the timeline can be easily constructed from the affidavit:

Murder (PC19.02) - First Degree Felony

1. 04/03/2016 (Sunday): Haruka Weiser placed a phone to her friend @ approximately 2130 hours, to advise she was "on the way" following conclusion of her class.

A. The suspect initially arrived at approximately 9:20 pm. The suspect continued to look around the area and then got back on the bike to leave this location.

B. The video then showed him returning to the van at approximately 9:38 pm. As the suspect returned to the location on his bike, the figure of a female dressed all in
black and looking at her cell phone could be seen walking toward the alumni center. As the figure passed the suspect and continues toward the bridge, the
suspect watched her, puts the kickstand down on the bike, reaches into the back of his pants with his left hand and pulled out what appeared to be a shiny, rigid
object. The suspect then followed the female across the bridge and onto the sidewalk that extends behind Alumni center and runs along the west bank of Waller
Creek.

C. The suspect is not seen again until 11:47 p.m.

2. 04/04/2016 (Monday): At 1102 hours, The University of Texas Police Department received the report of a missing person when Haruka Weiser did not show up for her Monday morning classes at Austin, Travis County, Texas.

3. 04/05/2016 (Tuesday): At approximately 9:45am, UTPD began to canvas and search the area Haruka Weiser was known to walk. While searching the area, they found the remains of a young female with obvious trauma to her body. The Austin Police Homicide Unit was notified by UTPD personnel that a deceased female of comparable stature was discovered behind the UT Etter-Harbin Alumni Center at 2110 San Jacinto Boulevard in Austin, Travis County, Texas.

4. 04/05/2016 (Tuesday): At 1045 hours, the body later identified as that of Haruka Weiser, was pronounced deceased by Austin-Travis County EMS Medical Director, Dr. Ackrell.

5. 04/06/2016 (Wednesday): The autopsy of Haruka Weiser was conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner's office. Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns noted obvious trauma to the victim's body and ruled the death as homicide.

As the investigators continued the investigation, UTPD detectives began to look at surveillance video along the route that Weiser usually took from Winship Hall to her dorm near 21st street. While reviewing the surveillance video from the College of Liberal Arts building, they observed a suspicious black male ride up on a red or pink women's bicycle attempting to open the doors of a van that was parked in the bay area.

I have seen this and it only adds to my confusion. It seems as though there is almost a 24 hr period (Monday a.m. to Tuesday a.m.) before any search was initiated for her. She doesn't come home on Sunday night but UTPD starts looking for her Tuesday morning.

I realize she is an adult, but she calls her roommate on Sunday evening and says I'm on my way home (what - 15 mins walking really slow) and nobody starts looking for a day and a half? And then she is found within an hour.

This also seems to discredit the comment Nancy Grace made (I didn't hear it), that her body was in such bad shape it took numerous days to ID her.

 

[SpanishInquisition]

I have seen this and it only adds to my confusion. It seems as though there is almost a 24 hr period (Monday a.m. to Tuesday a.m.) before any search was initiated for her. She doesn't come home on Sunday night but UTPD starts looking for her Tuesday morning.

I realize she is an adult, but she calls her roommate on Sunday evening and says I'm on my way home (what - 15 mins walking really slow) and nobody starts looking for a day and a half? And then she is found within an hour.

This also seems to discredit the comment Nancy Grace made (I didn't hear it), that her body was in such bad shape it took numerous days to ID her.

There was a search in the creek on Monday by UTPD, but then they went back again after a smell from the creek by the loading dock was reported by students:

About an hour before Weiser was found, UT graduate student Stephanie Sandoval was walking in the loading dock next to the creek and knew something wasn't right.

"Although Waller Creek is a creek and you know, sometimes it does have a creek smell, it did not smell like that on that day. It just smelled different and bad. Just bad," Sandoval said.

She said she thought it was a dead animal. Later that morning, the university sent an email to students and staff, alerting them of the investigation.

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/ut-austin-student-death-what-we-know-so-far/122968911

Haruka’s body was found just after 10:46 am Tuesday morning. Police found the body after several students complained about a smell coming from Waller Creek. An autopsy was performed and the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office has determined a cause of death, but authorities are not releasing it due to the ongoing investigation.

“UTPD first learned that Haruka was missing on Monday morning and immediately began a search,” said UT President Gregory L. Fenves. “As I reported in my message to campus yesterday, Austin police are leading the homicide investigation into this horrifying and incomprehensible crime and working with UTPD and other law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend a suspect quickly.’

http://coed.com/2016/04/07/haruka-w...sity-texas-waller-creek-missing-body-updates/
This tells you how far she got - not far - after she passed by the security camera with Criner following her.

 

[jjenny]

I have seen this and it only adds to my confusion. It seems as though there is almost a 24 hr period (Monday a.m. to Tuesday a.m.) before any search was initiated for her. She doesn't come home on Sunday night but UTPD starts looking for her Tuesday morning.

I realize she is an adult, but she calls her roommate on Sunday evening and says I'm on my way home (what - 15 mins walking really slow) and nobody starts looking for a day and a half? And then she is found within an hour.

This also seems to discredit the comment Nancy Grace made (I didn't hear it), that her body was in such bad shape it took numerous days to ID her.

Sounds to me like campus police weren't all that concerned at first. University has numerous missing persons reports but these students are eventually found to have gone off somewhere.

 

[SpanishInquisition]

Criner has a lawyer now who has worked on other high profile cases:
http://kxan.com/2016/04/10/child-protective-services-questioned-after-ut-homicide/