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Officials unaware of '66 murder conviction

Thursday, July 31, 2003

By Bill Schackner, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

A university in California has rescinded a teaching offer it made to a Penn State University instructor, saying it was unaware of his 1966 triple murder conviction in Texas when it signed a contract.

	Dr. Paul Krueger was paroled by the Texas governor in 1979 after serving nearly 13 years in prison for a 1966 triple murder conviction. (Penn State University via AP) Previous story Penn State professor murdered 3 in 1965

National University in La Jolla, Calif., said on Friday that it planned to hire Paul Krueger, 55, for an associate professorship in business. But late yesterday, school spokesman Hoyt Smith said the position was no longer his.

Shahram Azordegan, dean of National's school of business and information management, said the university made its decision after consulting legal counsel.

"While the university recognizes Dr. Krueger's efforts to rehabilitate himself in the years since the conviction, his employment as a faculty member would be inconsistent with National University's institutional values and the best interests of its students, alumni, faculty and staff," he said in remarks released by the school.

Krueger could not be reached for comment. Smith said school officials were in the process of notifying him.

Krueger was paroled by the Texas governor in 1979 after nearly 13 years in prison.

Since then, he has held corporate and academic positions, including an assistant professorship in education at Penn State, where he remains on the faculty and is scheduled to teach this fall.

His case has sparked debate about campus background search practices and whether a rehabilitated individual's past transgressions -- including violent ones -- have any bearing on fitness to teach college students.

Penn State, like many colleges, doesn't ask teaching applicants whether they have a criminal record.

"The question becomes, 'Do you ever pay your debt or do you always have a stigma following you around?' " said William Beaver, a Robert Morris University professor who has taught business ethics.

He said he believes Krueger "doesn't have any obligation" to volunteer his past since he paid his debt to society, was very young when he committed the crime and has shown no likelihood of repeating such an offense. "Not everyone is going to agree with that," he said.

Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said the school learned only recently of Krueger's past and was shocked.

He said Krueger's employee record is good and that Penn State was unaware of any interest by Krueger in the California post.

"He's scheduled to teach this fall. He hasn't resigned," Mahon said. "He [has] a good record in the college as performing his teaching duties appropriately. Students and faculty seem to think highly of him."

Krueger was a teenager when he was convicted of three counts of murder with malice aforethought in the 1965 deaths of three fishermen along the Intracoastal Waterway south of Corpus Christi.

He fired 40 bullets from a pair of rifles into the three men, according to a 1979 account from the Austin American-Statesman. The motive was unclear, the newspaper said.

Bill Schackner can be reached at bschackner@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1977.