Haruka Weiser, an 18-year-old ballet student, was found dead near a creek two days after she went missing from campus on April 3. The suspect was identified as Meechaiel Criner, a 17-year-old homeless man.
A suspect was arrested in connection with the murder of Haruka Weiser, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Texas, Austin police said Friday.
He was identified as Meechaiel Criner, a 17-year-old homeless man, police said at a press conference Friday. He was booked at Travis County Jail on a charge of murder — a first degree felony.
Weiser, a first-year ballet student in the Theater and Dance department, was last seen Sunday night leaving a building on campus, according to police. She sent a text to her roommate saying she was on her way to their dorm room. A missing person's report was filed Monday after Weiser did not return to her room Sunday night or attend classes the next day.
On Tuesday, April 5, police found her body in Waller Creek, a route she frequently took to get back to her dorm from the F. Loren Winship Drama building on campus.
The Travis County medical examiner's office ruled the case a homicide but has not released details on how she was killed.
Austin police on Thursday released surveillance video of the suspect, described as a "black male, approximately 6 feet tall, with an athletic build." He was seen with a "red or pink woman's bicycle.
In a statement, Weiser's family described her as a "passionate and dedicated dancer and student" who was looking forward to performing again as a dance major and was declaring a second major in pre-med studies. Her family said she had planned to "explore the world of medicine this summer and to travel to visit family in Japan."
The statement said:
"Although Haruka loved to perform on stage she never sought the spotlight in her daily life. Perhaps the last thing she would want is to be the poster child for any cause. And yet, as we struggle to understand why she was killed, if her death can somehow make it safer for a young woman to walk home, if it will prevent another assault or murder, then at least we could find some meaning behind an otherwise senseless and tragic death."
University of Texas president Gregory L. Fenves, said in a statement, that Weiser was a "beloved member of our dance community, liked and admired by her classmates and respected by professors for her intelligence and spirit."
"The unthinkable brutality against Haruka is an attack on our entire family," he said.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1UNvA2a
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