April 8, 2016
Dear UT Community,
I offer my deep appreciation to Austin police, University of Texas police and the Department of Public Safety for their rapid work in apprehending a suspect in the brutal murder of Haruka Weiser. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo announced the arrest this morning.
As I said at the press conference, police and prosecutors still have much to do to bring this perpetrator to justice. And we, as a university community, will continue to deal with the pain of losing Haruka. But this is an important development that is the direct result of outstanding police work and community support — and that brings some relief to our grieving campus.
I also want to thank all of you — students, staff, faculty members, alumni and parents — for supporting one another and representing the university so well in this time of tragedy. At last night’s gathering on the East Mall, I was struck by your compassion, sincerity and kindness. And as we move forward, I am comforted by the strength we will continue to draw from one another.
Finally, Haruka’s family has asked us to share this message of thanks:
Today we learned that the Austin Police Department has arrested an individual in connection with the death of our daughter, Haruka. We are grateful for the effective investigation by the Austin Police Department, the University of Texas Police and all who assisted with this case. We are relieved to hear this news.
We remain steadfast in our desire to honor Haruka’s memory through kindness and love, not violence. To the police officers, the UT community and all who have been impacted by this, we just ask that you hug your children, hug your parents TWICE, one from you and one from us.
Thank you for all the support you have shown us.
Let us do everything we can to honor their wishes.
Sincerely,
Gregory L. Fenves
President