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

[YESorNO]

Father of slain UT student takes the stand on the first day of trial (with clip)

"AUSTIN (KXAN) — Opening statements began Wednesday in the trial of a man accused of murdering a University of Texas at Austin student two years ago...

Prosecutor Guillermo Gonzalez told the jury in his opening statements about surveillance videos, evidence on campus, evidence at the Medical Arts building and details about Criner himself which lead the state to believe that Criner is guilty.

Defense attorney Darla Davis told the jury that Weiser was murdered in a horrific manner, but the defense intends to prove that Criner was not there when the murder was committed and that Criner is not guilty. ...

The first witness to be called forward was Thomas Weiser, Haruka's father. Thomas described his daughter as a talented dancer, a great student and a responsible young woman....

Austin Police Homicide Detective Ray Tynes was called as a witness as well. He explained that UT Austin Police called in APD to help lead their investigation once they realized the case may be a homicide...

Also in the courtroom was Joell McNew, a parent of a UT student and the vice president of the campus safety group SafeHorns. McNew heard about Haruka's murder from her son who was also a theater and dance student back in 2016.

She was emotionally impacted to see Haruka's father speak in the courtroom...."

Father of slain UT student takes the stand on the first day of trial

(Thomas Weiser, Haruka Weiser's father was called as a witness in Meechaiel Criner's trial. His daughter was murdered in April of 2016, he described her as a responsible and driven young woman with a talent for dancing. [KXAN Photo/ Ed Zavala]).

(A photo presented as evidence during the trial of Haruka Weiser's keys and pepper spray which she had accidentally left in her dorm room on April 3, the night she disappeared. [KXAN Photo Ed Zavala]).

(Austin Police Detective Ray Tynes shared this photo which was taken into evidence for the trial. Tynes said Weiser's body was found behind these boulders and covered with debris, very difficult to see to those passing by. [KXAN Photo/ Ed Zavala]).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

A few more articles:

Trial for Meechaiel Criner begins

Trial for Meechaiel Criner begins - The Daily Texan
---

Day 1 for trial of man accused of slaying UT student

July 11, 2018

Day 1: Trial for man accused of slaying UT student
---

Prosecutors outline timeline of University of Texas freshman's murder, call on father as witness

Prosecutors outline timeline of University of Texas freshman's murder, call on father as witness
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 59m59 minutes ago
Day 2 of hearing from witnesses begins as Meechaiel Criner is tried for capital murder of UT student Haruka Weiser. Follow @KXAN_News for updates


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 2h2 hours ago
Today’s trial proceedings will begin at 9AM with the defense’s cross-examination of Ray Tynes. Tynes is one of the APD homicide detectives who investigated Weiser’s death in 2016. He was questioned by the prosection for nearly an hour yesterday.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 57m57 minutes ago
Judge starts off mentioning there have been issues with transporting Criner by TCSO from Del Valle facility to downtown Austin and Criner has at times been brought without his property including notes related to this case. Judge says they’re working to resolve this


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 1h1 hour ago
In the course of transporting Criner to court from Del Valle yesterday, sheriff's deputies did not allow him to bring all of his notes and documents related to his defense, Judge Wahlberg said. The issue has been cleaned up. Now we're ready to start with Detective Tynes.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 1h1 hour ago
There's been a slight delay before we begin today. The defense requested to talk with the defendant in private about new evidence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 60m60 minutes ago
APD Homicide Detective Ray Tynes takes the stand again, defense attorney Ariel Payan begins cross examination, asking Tynes about factors like insects and sunlight that can impact bodies and evidence collection



Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 1h1 hour ago
Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore is present in court again today, observing the cross examination currently



Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 56m56 minutes ago
Lots of questions right now from defense attorney Ariel Payan to the detective about how things like insects, sunlight, water, etc. affect the collection of evidence and the state of the body.



Adela Uchida‏ @adelauchida 46m46 minutes ago
Det. Ray Tynes begins testimony in the trial of Meechaiel Criner in the murder of UT student Haruka Weiser. Talking about wearing gloves at the crime scene. @cbsaustin


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 44m44 minutes ago
We are now looking at photos APD took of evidence at the scene. Tynes says that evidence and blood stains show that Weiser crossed over Waller Creek itself to the spot where her body was ultimately found. He says it’s not clear whether she was forced across or carried across


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 40m40 minutes ago
Tynes cannot say with certainty where along Waller Creek the assault first took place. But he believes it happened after Weiser was taken from the east side of the creek to the west side of the creek.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 40m40 minutes ago
The defense is currently going through the photos taken around Waller Creek and close to the crime scene to clarify the detective's testimony yesterday. The detective is explaining where various items were located in reference to the body, including clothes and a hammer.



Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 42m42 minutes ago
Detective Tynes says he was also present for Weiser’s autopsy and is familiar with the injuries she sustained



Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 37m37 minutes ago
We are looking at various blood stains in the rocky area along Waller Creek where Haruka Weiser was found. Hard to tell exactly what the defense is doing, but appears to be some dispute over what investigators say is blood is actually blood.



Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 38m38 minutes ago
Now Payan is asking the detective general questions about the blood found at the scene, like which one he found first, his experience with identifying blood, etc. The detective said the blood found at the scene was not tested by authorities.



Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 28m28 minutes ago
Detective just clarified that the blood was in fact tested at some locations. The blood closer to where the body was found and the location where the main assault occurred was tested.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

rudy koski‏Verified account @KoskionFOX7 19m19 minutes ago
Meechaiel Criner Jury shown hammer that was allegedly used to incapacitate Weiser and eyeglasses that match a prescription used by Criner @fox7austin

 

[YESorNO]

Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 34m34 minutes ago
Defense is now asking about a contested pair of glasses, which the prosecution says belong to Criner. In one photo of the evidence, you can clearly see the glasses next to some socks. In the other one, the glasses are not visible.


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 24m24 minutes ago
Tynes says he doesn't know how assault went down, but believes assailant gained control quickly with ligature and dragged or forced Weiser across the creek bed. Suspect then probably slammed her face into rocks. Weiser had no chance of fighting back - no defense wounds.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 23m23 minutes ago
Wow we’re learning a lot now from the detective about how he thinks Weiser was injured and killed:


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 25m25 minutes ago
Tynes does not know if Weiser was strangled first, of her head injury came first, or if her body was beaten shortly after she was asphyxiated


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 24m24 minutes ago
His theory is that Weiser’s face was shoved into the rocks because of the jagged injuries on her head



Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 22m22 minutes ago
Tynes is empathic: he believes the assailant gained control of Weiser quickly with the nylon strap around her neck and that he didn’t see any signs that she was able to fight for her life. He doesn’t know if she was conscious as she was brought across creek bed



Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 21m21 minutes ago
Currently hearing a lot about how the detective thinks the assailant restrained Criner. He said the assailant gained control of her rather quickly. Similar to his testimony yesterday, the detective says he also doesn't believe Weiser injured her attacker.



Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 20m20 minutes ago
The attorney just asked the detective of Weiser was carried from the position of her assault to the place she was found. The detective says yes, without question.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 18m18 minutes ago
A lack of blood staining between the spot w/ boulder with lot of blood spots and the boulder where Weiser’s body was ultimately found behind makes Tynes believe it’s possible she was dead at the time she was carried between the two


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 17m17 minutes ago
Tynes believes Weiser was physically carried and placed in the location where her body was ultimately found hidden behind a boulder
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 19m19 minutes ago
Now the prosecution is talking again with the detective. They're clarifying the detective's previous testimony. Although Weiser was wearing all black, the detective marked a lot of evidence (i.e a white t-shirt). The prosecution is implying that the t-shirt was irrelevant.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 16m16 minutes ago
The state asked Tynes a few more questions about evidence collection, the defense doesn’t have any more questions for Tynes at this time because he will be called back as a witness


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 13m13 minutes ago
Detective Ray Tynes is off the stand and we're breaking for 15 minutes. The next witness will be lengthy, judge says.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 13m13 minutes ago
Tynes is coming back as a witness, but he's done with his testimony for today. We are now taking a 15 minute break The next witness will be quite lengthy, according to the judge, so I imagine that this witness will be the last one before the lunch break.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 15m15 minutes ago
Jurors have been dismissed for a brief recess
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[dotr]

Thanks again for the updates YESorNO, taking it all in in small bites, this is a devastating case. It is so horrible that such a young, pretty, smart and talented woman ended up this way.

 

[YESorNO]

Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 55m55 minutes ago
We’re back in session, the state has called witness Amanda Aguilar, a crime scene specialist with Austin Police. She was called to the scene where Weiser’s body was found and documented it with photos


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 58m58 minutes ago
The next witness is Amanda Aguilar, an Austin Police Department crime scene specialist with 640 hours of crime scene training.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 51m51 minutes ago
All of the photos previously introduced yesterday were taken by Aguilar. She also was the one who marked the evidence at the scene. We're going back to the photos of the area where the glasses were found. Aguilar said the angle of some photos is why the glasses are obscured.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 46m46 minutes ago
Now she is being shown more evidence collected: a black sock from the creekbed


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 46m46 minutes ago
Also, she is being shown a patterned bra with reddish brown stains, also evidence. Aguilar then shows it to the jury. They nod their heads as she explains her process for collecting evidence



Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 43m43 minutes ago
We now are seeing bloody white bra and black eye glasses investigators found along Waller Creek near Haruka Weiser. The bra belonged to Weiser and the glasses belonged to Criner, prosecutors say.


rudy koski‏Verified account @KoskionFOX7 28m28 minutes ago
Crime Scene Tech Amanda Aguilar shows jury eyeglasses recovered from Waller Creek where murder took place- glasses are being linked to Meechaiel Criner @fox7austin

Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 45m45 minutes ago
Now she is being shown a hammer, also an item collected from the scene. This is the hammer witnesses have talked about before that has one claw broken off and was found in the creekbed. The jury is shown this as well
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 42m42 minutes ago
Aguilar is being shown another piece of evidence: the “ligature” or nylon strap believed to be used to strangle Haruka. This was taken from the medical examiner’s office. It is a ribbed strap with orange and yellow fading. There are loops with knots on each end




Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 39m39 minutes ago
Aguilar just finished showing the jury the final piece of evidence, a discolored nylon strap with large knots tied at both ends. Prosecutors say that is the strap used to strangle Weiser.



Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 32m32 minutes ago
Aguilar also talks about photos she took using technology to make blood and biological evidence show up or appear fluorescent. Photos show lots of biological evidence on bloody boulder and in creekbed
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 26m26 minutes ago
Defense is having Aguilar elaborate on her initial field search of the area. Aguilar said it's possible that she could have disturbed some of the debris during the searches of the scene that she took before she took photographs.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 20m20 minutes ago
We’re back to talking about the glasses (the ones found at the creek that the state say are Criner’s). Aguilar was the one who noticed them in the creekbed next to other evidence, but said they weren’t marked with a number because investigators didn’t see them initially



Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 18m18 minutes ago
Defense is asking a lot of questions about eyeglasses. The eyeglasses were not initially marked as evidence, because Aguilar did not see them during her examination of the scene. The defense has previously asked questions to Weiser's friends, who say she also would wear glasses.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 16m16 minutes ago
Prosecutor reads document stipulated between both sides saying DNA found on Haruka Weiser was of no evidentiary value. This, of course, comes after Judge Wahlberg tossed out DNA evidence a couple of weeks back because DPS did not follow own testing procedures.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 15m15 minutes ago
State presents statement of facts: evidence was taken from Weiser’s body and from the scene. They say evidence was tested for DNA but there was nothing of evidentiary value


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 13m13 minutes ago
The jury will not hear what about this evidence, the judge decided to throw out some DNA evidence before trial because of procedural errors in analyzing it. We covered this several weeks ago
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 17m17 minutes ago
Aguilar has been dismissed from the stand. You would think the court would break for lunch, but we're now hearing testimony from another witness.

The next witness is Jose Sandoval Jr, who was previously a student at UT from August 2013 to May 2017 and on the rowing team.


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 17m17 minutes ago
Now hearing from Jose Sandoval, a UT student and rec sports crew team member at the time Weiser was killed. He had arranged for the team to store their stuff in a room in Belmont Hall. Prosecutors say Criner broke in and was keeping his stuff there.



Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 8m8 minutes ago
Now the state called forward a witness who was with the Texas Crew (UT rowing club) back in 2016. His name is Jose Sandoval, his club was using a UT storage room when he found what he believed to be a person squatting in there and storing supplies


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 8m8 minutes ago
Sandoval is testifying about a room he rented for Texas Crew. When he showed up to it a few days before Haruka's death, he saw there were many objects that he didn't recognize. Those objects included a hammer with a prong missing, very similar to the hammer found at the scene.



Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 12m12 minutes ago
Sandoval took photos of the room on 3/30/2016 because he didn’t want his club blamed. The photos, shown to the jury show a room w/ door spray painted blue, a hammer that appears to have one claw, ropes and nylon straps, a shopping cart w/supplies, a tablet and cellphone


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 20m20 minutes ago
Sandoval entered the room March 30 and found shopping cart, tools, several back packs, gas can, umbrella, ropes, laptop and cell phone. Looked like someone was squatting there. He took photos and sent them to director of rec sports.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 18m18 minutes ago
To keep everything straight, there are three locations where prosecutors said Criner was staying in the week or so he was in Austin. In this order: Belmont Hall storage room, abandoned campus building and LifeWorks. Then, I suppose, there was a fourth: jail.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 14m14 minutes ago
There also are things hanging from the walls including a motorcycle-looking jacket that is black and white


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 13m13 minutes ago
After previously cleaning everything out of the room in February 2016, Sandoval reentered the room on March 30, 2016 and saw the door spray painted. Sandoval also had to request the key to the door from the director of RecSports. He said when he showed up, the lock was broken.


Alyssa Goard‏ @AlyssaMGoard 11m11 minutes ago
Sandoval first began using that room in February of 2016. He had to walk past it every day for class and said he didn’t see anything strange there until he entered on 3/30 again. He added UT Rec Sports had the room cleared out for them by 4/2


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 12m12 minutes ago
There is a lot of stuff in this room, located in Belmont Hall. Items include a few ropes and nylon straps, about four backpacks/purses, a laptop/tablet, a janitorial trash can, a toolbox, a shopping cart full of items, a cell phone, and other things.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 10m10 minutes ago
The attorneys dismissed the witness and now we have broken for lunch. We will be returning at 1:15. Today's proceedings will probably be going until 5:30 or 6, the judge says.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 5m5 minutes ago
The next witness will continue testimony about this room when court is back in session.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 1h1 hour ago
CORRECTION: This tweet should say ‘how the assailaint restrained Weiser’.

----Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 3h3 hours ago
Currently hearing a lot about how the detective thinks the assailant restrained Criner. He said the assailant gained control of her rather quickly. Similar to his testimony yesterday, the detective says he also doesn't believe Weiser injured her attacker.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 37m37 minutes ago
Since I’m on a break, I want to add some things to this thread I didn’t tweet this morning: Before court started today, the judge said the sheriff’s office neglected to bring all of Criner’s personal notes about the proceedings with him. This may be readdressed later today.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 35m35 minutes ago
Additionally, two of the witnesses were dismissed today but are expected to be called back later in the trial. This is because the prosecution is calling witnesses based on their relationship to certain events. When these new events are addressed, they’ll be called back.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 25m25 minutes ago
Also, the prosecution read a quick statement today which said the DNA found on Weiser’s body was of no evidentiary value. This statement, read after Aguilar’s testimony, was in response to a ruling last month which excluded the majority of the DNA from the trial.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 12m12 minutes ago
BEFORE the jury comes back, the defense is asking some questions to the next witness, Merrick MyCue, currently employee at the UT Athletics Deparment. He saw a person in the storage locker on March 30. The defense wants to suppress the identification of Criner by the witness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Adela Uchida‏ @adelauchida 14m14 minutes ago
We’re back. Merrick Mycue is on the stand.


Adela Uchida‏ @adelauchida 13m13 minutes ago
He works for UT Athletics Dept. He is testifying that he asked a person to pick up and leave the storage room on March 30, 2016.


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 13m13 minutes ago
Now hearing from Merrick MyCue, a UT athletics employee who said on March 30, 2016 he found a man inside of the Belmont Hall storage room that we referenced this morning. Jury not hear for this. Defense is questioning how he identified Criner as the man in the room.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 10m10 minutes ago
MyCue said he saw a person in a photo in an article about the arrest of the suspect in the Weiser death. When he saw the photo, he called the police. A police officer then showed him a old photograph of Criner for an identification. He said the person looked similar.


Adela Uchida‏ @adelauchida 13m13 minutes ago
Mycue says he saw a photo on a newscast about the arrest of Meechaiel Criner. He called UTPD after seeing the photo.


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 11m11 minutes ago
MyCue called campus police after getting notification on his phone about the arrest of Criner. He said he recognized him as the man he had thrown out of the storage room days before Weiser's death.


Adela Uchida‏ @adelauchida 10m10 minutes ago
Mycue testified a police officer showed him an old photo. “There were a lot of similarities.” Says he could identify a second photo. Says it was the person in the storage room he told to get out.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 8m8 minutes ago
They THEN showed him a 2nd photograph of Criner and MyCue said the person in the photo was the same person he saw in the storage room. The defense says his ID of Criner in the court room should be suppressed because the police showed him 2 photographs AND did not show a lineup.


Adela Uchida‏ @adelauchida 8m8 minutes ago
Defense is arguing that his identification is tainted by the way police handled it the photo identification. No photo lineup. Prosecution says Mycue recognized him from the face to face. Jury is not in the courtroom btw.


Adela Uchida‏ @adelauchida 12m12 minutes ago
Mycue says he can identify that person in the courtroom today.


Adela Uchida‏ @adelauchida 12m12 minutes ago
Defense motion overruled. Jury is coming into the courtroom.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 11m11 minutes ago
The defense's motion to suppress MyCue's testimony is denied. MyCue said to the judge that his identification/recollection of Criner was not based on the photographs, but instead from his memory. The jury is now coming back and is now going to hear MyCue testify.


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 12m12 minutes ago
Judge Wahlberg denies defense motion to suppress testimony from MyCue, the athletics department employee. Key to ruling was MyCue saying his courtroom identification of Criner comes from interaction in the storage room and not photos presented by police.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 15m15 minutes ago
This is the first photograph, from a HS article written about Criner. I am unsure of what the second photograph is, but I believe it is Criner's mugshot.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[YESorNO]

Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 11m11 minutes ago
Jury is seated and we're ready to go. MyCue says he was emailed photos from storage room that showed someone might have been squatting there. Those photos were taken by Mr. Sandoval, who testified before lunch.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 4m4 minutes ago
MyCue just told basically the same story to the jury, without all of the discussion about the identification. He said he saw what he believed to be a "squatter" in the storage room and checked it out. After he saw an article about the arrest of Criner, he called the police.


Ryan Autullo‏ @AutulloAAS 5m5 minutes ago
MyCue says the man he encountered in the storage room had an accent. The article he read after Criner's arrest described Criner as having an accent. He called campus police. MyCue identifies Criner as the man he saw in the storage room on March 30, 2016.


Megan Menchaca‏ @meganmenchaca13 2m2 minutes ago
Defense is asking MyCue if he knew when the door to the room became unsecured. MyCue said he doesn't know. MyCue also said the photo taken by the previous witness is similar to what he saw, but he is not sure if it exactly what he saw.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------