AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the second day of the capital murder trial of Meechaiel Criner, jurors heard from law enforcement who investigated the scene where University of Texas at Austin student Haruka Weiser’s body was found.
Criner is accused of killing UT student Haruka Weiser in April of 2016 by strangling her on the UT campus.
Jurors also heard from a former UT student who encountered what appeared to be a person squatting in a UT storage room back in March of 2016. Prosecutors believe that person was Criner.
First to take the witness stand was Austin Police Detective Ray Tynes, who examined evidence along Waller Creek where Weiser’s body was found behind boulders near the UT Alumni Center.
Tynes said Weiser’s body led him to conclude that she did not have the chance to fight back against her attacker, who he believes immediately put a nylon strap around her neck to strangle her.
However, Tynes was not sure whether Weiser was strangled first or if her skull fracture came first, or if her body was beaten shortly after she was strangled.
During questioning, Tynes also added that Weiser went across the creek to the spot where her body was ultimately found, though it was not clear to him if she was coerced that way or carried.
He said “without question” Weiser was eventually carried and placed in the position where she ultimately came to rest: nude, behind a large boulder, covered with debris and difficult to spot.
APD crime scene specialist Amanda Aguilar photographed the scene and was responsible for flagging evidence. Prosecutors brought forward items which Aguilar recognized as evidence she processed from the creek: a black sock from Weiser’s body, another apparently-matching black sock found balled up, a hammer missing one claw, a woman’s bloodstained bra and a pair of glasses found near other evidence.
Both Tynes and Aguilar were questioned by attorneys about the pair of black rimmed glasses found in the creek bed near Weiser’s body.
Prosecutors believe those glasses belonged to Criner because he had a unique prescription. The APD investigators both explained they eventually collected the glasses as evidence, but didn’t see them or flag them at first because they were tough to spot on the ground of the creek bed.
The investigators were also asked about a blue latex glove that was initially photographed but ultimately not taken into evidence because Tynes felt it did not appear to be related to the crime.
The jury heard from Jose Sandoval, a former UT student who belonged to the Texas Crew club back in the spring of 2016.
Storage Unit at Belmont Hall
Texas Crew used a room in the Belmont Hall on campus, first over Valentine’s Day weekend in 2016. When Sandoval returned to the room on March 30, 2016, he found the door open and spray painted blue.
Immediately concerned that someone would think the crew club was responsible, Sandoval began taking photos. These photos, shown to the jury, show that someone had been storing a large number of items inside the room, including a hammer which Sandoval said was missing a claw.
Also visible in the room were nylon straps and ropes, as well as a black and white motorcycle-style jacket. A shopping cart was found full of supplies.
Sandoval told the courtroom he became especially concerned when he saw a tablet and a phone charging in the room, believing that someone had been squatting there and may have stolen the items.
He immediately notified UT Rec sports, who granted his club access to the room, and by April 2 he said the whole room had been cleared out except for a box of lightbulbs.