Saturday, August 02, 2003

By Bill Schackner, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

A Penn State University instructor convicted of a 1965 triple murder in Texas resigned from the school yesterday after he and his employer agreed it was not practical for him to remain in his position.

	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 stories Calif. college drops offer to paroled PSU professor Penn State professor murdered 3 in 1965

Paul Krueger, 55, was popular with his students and well-liked by colleagues at University Park, where he has worked since 1999. But Penn State officials, who do not routinely ask teaching applicants about past criminal convictions, said last week that they were shocked to learn only recently of his 1979 parole for the killings of three fishermen.

Education Dean David Monk spoke by phone to Krueger on Thursday and again yesterday to learn more about the situation. They ultimately reached the same conclusion, said Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon.

"They talked through the situation and what Dr. Krueger went through. I think it became clear to everybody that it was going to be hard for him to continue," Mahon said.

Yesterday's development comes two days after National University in La Jolla, Calif., announced that it had rescinded a contract it had awarded Krueger to serve as an associate business professor. A dean at the school praised Krueger's rehabilitative efforts but said National didn't know of his past when it offered him the job and felt that hiring him for the position was inconsistent with university values.

Penn State officials as late as Thursday said they were unaware of Krueger's interest in the California job and that they expected him to return this fall. He was an assistant education professor.

Krueger has been unavailable for comment since news of his criminal background surfaced last week, and he could not be reached yesterday.

In Texas, Kathy Shallcross, a Department of Criminal Justice official who has spoken with Krueger, said she believes he is "pretty devastated" that he won't be returning to the classroom position.

She wasn't surprised that he would leave Penn State, given the national interest his case has received.

Shallcross, deputy director of the parole division, declined to say if she felt Krueger was being treated unfairly. "I work for the system and I understand that he has a criminal record, and unfortunately, you suffer the consequences of that record for life," she said.

Shallcross said it's her understanding that parole officials in Texas and Pennsylvania, as well as officials at Penn State, had mutually agreed even before news accounts broke last week that Krueger ought to leave Pennsylvania.

She said her understanding was that some sort of severance arrangement was being worked out with the university.

Mahon, though, said that does not jibe with his understanding of events. He said he was aware of no severance talks and does not believe Penn State knew that Krueger was leaving until yesterday.

Krueger was convicted of killing three fishermen. He was 17 years old when the murders took place on the Intracoastal Waterway south of Corpus Christi.

News accounts from Texas at the time said he fired 40 bullets at the victims from a pair of rifles. The motive was not clear, news accounts from the state have said.

Shallcross said she's not surprised Krueger has been reluctant to talk to the media. "From his side of it, what's everybody going to ask him? Number one, why'd you do the killings, and number two, how did you come this far and how do you feel?"

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

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