Homeless teen accused of killing UT-Austin student

A homeless 17-year-old has been arrested in the slaying of a University of Texas dance major whose body was found in the heart of the bustling campus this week.

The suspect, Meechaiel Criner, faces at least a murder charge, and possibly other charges, in the slaying of Oregon native Haruka Weiser, 18, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said Friday.

“We are very certain that the subject we have in custody … is responsible for the death of this beautiful young woman,” Acevedo said at a campus news conference.

Investigators had yet to determine a motive, he said.

Weiser was last seen leaving the campus drama building Sunday night. Her body was found Tuesday in a creek near the alumni center and UT’s iconic football stadium, an area that hums with activity day and night.

The killing shook the campus of about 50,000 students. University President Greg Fenves called Weiser’s slaying “horrifying and incomprehensible” and described it as an attack on the entire school community.

“It was unsettling,” said Jasmine Chavez, 20, who was on UT’s central mall area Friday. “I feel better now that they’ve caught the guy.”

Police had released surveillance video that showed a man walking a woman’s bicycle in front of the Liberal Arts Building on 23rd Street. The video also showed a woman, believed to be Weiser, walk past him. He watched her and then put down the kick stand of his bike, the arrest warrant affidavit said.

He reached into the back of his pants, pulled out a “shiny rigid object,” the affidavit said, and followed Weiser behind the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center, which is adjacent to the west bank of Waller Creek.

Criner does not appear on video again until about two hours later — 11:47 p.m. — walking east on 23rd Street with a slight limp, the affidavit said. The footage also showed him carrying a small duffel bag that he did not have when he was first caught on video, the affidavit said.

Weiser was reported missing the next morning; police found her body Tuesday in Waller Creek.

Austin firefighters recognized the man on the video as Criner, whom they had spoken to about a trash fire near the campus Monday. An Austin resident who reported the fire also called police when she saw the surveillance video, Acevedo said.

Criner wasn’t arrested after questioning about the fire but was taken to a shelter. Police found him there Thursday and took him into custody without incident.

The arrest warrant affidavit said his clothing matched that of the man on the surveillance video and that he was in possession of a woman’s bike, as well as Weiser’s duffel bag and some of her other belongings, including her laptop.

Acevedo wouldn’t speculate on motive and said authorities are still working to determine Criner’s criminal record.

Foster care, runaway

The Austin American-Statesman reported that Criner was listed as a runaway with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has a history in foster care, and Child Protective Services has conservatorship over him. He was reported as a runaway to Killeen police March 24, a Killeen police spokeswoman said.

Criner’s grandmother, Mary Wadley, told the Shreveport news station KSLA on Friday that Criner had a history of psychological problems. Wadley said he ran away in August.

“If you made him mad, he’d snap,” she told the news station. “His temper would snap real fast.”

In an interview for his Texarkana high school paper, the Tiger Times, Criner said his mother had a drinking problem and said he and his siblings were removed from her home and placed into foster care at a young age. Criner told the Tiger Times he was bullied often for his thick accent and was abused while in foster care.

“It was a really harsh time in my life,” Criner told the publication. “People can be mean and hateful.”

Police did not released many details of Criner’s background. A person with the same name and birth date is listed in public driver’s license records as having lived in Texarkana.

Increased security

Police have not released details about the cause of Weiser’s death, except to say that the route she took from her dorm to the drama building often passed the creek where her body was found.

Fenves said increased police patrols on campus, which have included state troopers in cars, on bikes and on horseback, will continue for the time being. The Department of Public Safety also is reviewing campus security, including checking video monitoring, lighting and building security systems

“We will honor Haruka’s life and what she stood for,” Fenves said. “We will take this as an occasion to do as Haruka’s parents asked us to do, learn from this and make this a better community and a safer community for everyone.”

The university said Weiser’s slaying was the first on-campus homicide since former Marine Charles Whitman climbed to the top of UT’s bell tower on Aug. 1, 1966, and opened fire, killing 14 people and wounding scores of others. Authorities later determined that Whitman also killed his wife and mother in the hours before he went to the tower. A 17th death was attributed to Whitman in 2001, when a Fort Worth man died of injuries related to the shooting.

Weiser’s family said she had planned to take on a second, premed major soon and to travel to Japan this summer to see relatives. In a statement Friday, the family said “we are relieved to hear” an arrest had been made.

“We remain steadfast in our desire to honor Haruka’s memory through kindness and love, not violence,” the statement said.

This report includes material from the Austin American-Statesman.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Homeless teen accused of killing UT-Austin student."