Court Affirms Murder Conviction In UT-Austin Student's Death

AUSTIN, TX — An appeals court on Friday affirmed the capital murder conviction of a man who killed a University of Texas at Austin student on campus as she walked back to her form after a class in 2016.

The Third Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of Meechaiel Criner, who was convicted last year of capital murder by a Travis County jury, according to a press advisory from the district attorney's office. Criner was found guilty of strangling Haruka Weiser, the 18-year-old student enrolled at UT-Austin on a dance scholarship, before hiding her body next to a creek running through campus.

The appeals court found the trial court did not err in overruling Criner’s motion to suppress evidence at trial and his motion for new trial following verdict, and rejected Criner’s constitutional challenges to Texas' mandatory sentencing scheme, according to the DA's office. In its opinion, the court noted “...the evidence presented at trial overwhelmingly linked Criner to the offense in question.”

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Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore said in response to the appeal court's ruling: “This crime rocked our community, and it has forever affected how students and their parents regard their safety on the University of Texas campus. I am proud of the hard work put into this case by this Office. I know that Haruka's parents will receive this news with relief.”

Criner is currently serving a life sentence for the murder.