Lawyer: Mental health to play role in defense of Meechaiel Criner

April 22--Mental health will likely play a role in the case of Meechaiel Khalil Criner, but it's too early to make strategic decisions regarding his defense, his lawyer said Friday.

Speaking to reporters outside a Travis County courtroom, attorney Ariel Payan said he has begun his own investigation into police allegations of Criner's involvement in the killing of University of Texas student Haruka Weiser. He said his defense team is still in the early stages of gathering evidence and is having Criner undergo psychological evaluations to determine whether he is competent to stand trial.

"It is a going to be a really long process, I think, with this case," he said. "But hopefully we will be getting some information soon."

The 17-year-old runaway, charged with murder, was scheduled for his first court setting Friday before district court Judge David Wahlberg. But he did not make an appearance as he has not been indicted. Prosecutors have 90 days from his April 8 arrest to levy formal charges.

Police have said officers detained Criner at LifeWorks, an emergency shelter for homeless youth, shortly after they released surveillance footage of a suspect. The key tip came from firefighters at the campus-area station who recognized him from the video and told police they had found Criner burning various items at an abandoned building north of the school, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

On Friday, Payan said his client had been hitchhiking from Georgetown and had not been in Austin long. He said Criner had told him he received a ride from law enforcement but that he had not been able to confirm that.

The lawyer, who spoke with Criner about two hours after his arrest, said his client had been confused. "He was very polite, didn't really understand what was going on, but was able to answer questions," Payan said.

He has spoken with him several times since, Payan said, and he still seems confused. He said he could not comment on whether Criner had expressed any remorse.

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