Theodore Streleski

On August 18, 1978, American mathematics professor Karel de Leeuw was murdered by Theodore Landon Streleski, a graduate student at Stanford University. De Leeuw, who was Streleski's former faculty advisor, was fatally bludgeoned from behind with a ball-peen hammer while in his office after Streleski was informed that he would not receive a doctorate. He later stated he felt the murder was justifiable homicide because de Leeuw had withheld departmental awards from him, demeaned Streleski in front of his peers, and refused his requests for financial support. These claims were refuted by de Leeuw's wife, who criticised the media for uncritically repeating his claims without verifying their veracity. Streleski was a part-time student in his 16th alternating with low-paying jobs to support himself. at the time of the murder, Streleski's advisor was Halsey Royden, who had told Streleski his work was sufficient to get a doctorate if he wrote his thesis. During the trial, Streleski told the judge that he had been planning the murder for 8 years, and there were a number of faculty on his list; he stated that if he'd been unable to find de Leeuw he would have murdered David Gilbarg.

Streleski was eligible for parole on three occasions, but turned it down as the conditions of his parole required him to stay away from Stanford campus and to get psychiatric treatment. Upon his release in 1985, he said, "I have no intention of killing again. On the other hand, I cannot predict the future."