Death of Haruka Weiser
Haruka Weiser | |
|---|---|
| File:Haruka Weiser.jpg | |
| Born | Haruka Juliana Tsunemine Weiser |
| Died | April 4, 2016 (aged 18) |
| Education | Arts & Communication Magnet Academy, Beaverton, Oregon (2015) |
| Occupation | Student |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Weiser (father) Yasuyo Tsunemine (mother) |
Haruka Juliana Tsunemine Weiser[1] (June 20, 1997[2] – April 4, 2016) was a University of Texas at Austin student who was murdered while returning to her dorm from a class in the campus's drama building.[3]
Early life and education
Weiser was born on June 20, 1997.[4] Her father Thomas Weiser is a medical doctor with the Portland Area Indian Health Service, her mother Yasuyo Tsunemine is a social worker, and she has two younger siblings.[5] She attended the Arts & Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA) in Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, where she was part of the class of 2015. She began dance training in sixth grade and was involved in her school's dance company, Dance West.[6] In 2014, she was recruited by University of Texas at Austin during a high school dance performance. At University of Texas at Austin, she lived in the Prather dorm on campus and planned to major in pre-med studies alongside dance (which was her first major).[7]
Death
On April 3, 2016 around 9:30 pm, Weiser called to inform a friend that she was on the way back to her dorm from the Winship Drama Building. As she was making the five minute walk home, UT cameras recorded a man watching someone who is thought to be Weiser near the Liberal Arts Building of the UT campus. The man put down the kick stand of his bicycle, pulled out a "shiny rigid object" from the back of his pants, and followed Wesier behind the campus' alumni center. The man wasn't seen again on camera until two hours later when he was shown limping east on 23rd Street while carrying a small duffel bag he didn't have earlier. On April 4, 2016, when Weiser failed to return home, she was reported missing by one of her roommates. The next day, her body was found in Waller Creek.[8]
Investigators found "obvious signs of trauma" on Weiser's corpse and declared that she was sexually assaulted and strangled. However, the cause of death has not been declared.[9]
On April 7, 2016, police arrested the alleged 17-year-old homeless and non-student Meechaiel Criner . Earlier in the week on April 4, firefighters responded to a trash fire where they found Criner burning objects inside an abandoned building. At the scene of the fire, Criner had both the bicycle and the duffel bag seen in the UT campus surveillance footage.[10][11][12]
Legacy
On April 8, 2016, UT Austin's Dance Repertory Theatre, where Wesier worked in the wardrobe crew, honored Weiser in their production Bodies & Souls.[13] On April 12, 2016, about 100 people gathered for a memorial walk to honor Weiser by walking her last steps before her murder to a memorial near Waller Creek.[14] The 2016 Longhorn Run, a yearly 5K and 10K race and a campus tradition, held a moment of silence in honor of Weiser before the race began. Ribbons were distributed at the race and decorated on 23rd Street, one of the paths of the race.[15]
References
- ^ "Statement by Family of Haruka Weiser". UT News - The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ^ https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2798043/Mkc-Arrest-Warrant-Affidavit.pdf
- ^ "UT homicide victim identified as Haruka Weiser, suspect video released", KXAN, April 6, 2016
- ^ "Murder #4: Video and reward information for The University of Texas at Austin Homicide - AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin". austintexas.gov. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
Deceased: Haruka Weiser, DOB 06-20-1997
- ^ "Haruka Weiser remembered as passionate about life, dance, friends and family". The Oregonian. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ^ "Hundreds celebrate Haruka Weiser at sunset vigil in Beaverton", Oregonlive, April 17, 2016
- ^ "10 things we know about Haruka Weiser", KXAN, April 7, 2016
- ^ "Haruka Weiser's cause of death was strangulation, sources say", Austin American-Statesman, April 12, 2016
- ^ "Suspect sexually assaulted and strangled slain University of Texas student Haruka Weiser", NY Daily News, April 12, 2016
- ^ "Timeline: The murder of Haruka Weiser", KXAN, April 8, 2016
- ^ Bien, Calily (11 April 2016). "Reports: Meechaiel Criner was abused by grandma as a child". kxan.com. KXAN. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ^ "Homeless teen faces murder charge in University of Texas student's death", Los Angeles Times, April 13, 2016
- ^ "Dancers pay tribute to Haruka Weiser at UT Austin performance", KXAN, April 8, 2016
- ^ "UT community walks Haruka Weiser's last steps", KATU, Nadia Galindo
- ^ "Longhorn Run remembers Haruka Weiser before race", KXAN, April 9, 2016