Family of Murdered Professor Seeking Community Help

The family of a San Diego State University professor who was brutally murdered in a classroom over two decades ago is reaching out to the public for help in preventing the murderer from being released on parole.

Costas Lyrintzis and two other professors were murdered in 1996 during a Master Thesis defense at San Diego State University by a deranged graduate student who hid a gun in the room prior to the meeting so that he could ambush them.

The student believes there was a conspiracy against him to prevent him from getting his degree.

Ironically, the three professors had good news for him that terrible morning — they were going to approve him for a Master’s degree.

Chen Liang, Preston Lowrey III, and Constantinos Lyrintzis, the three victims of what was called the San Diego State Massacre.

Prosecutors at the time felt they had an excellent chance to have the murderer executed.

Lyrintzis’ wife Deana and the other two widows agreed not to press for the death penalty in exchange for a promise by the prosecutors that the killer would serve three consecutive life sentences and never be released from prison.

The murderer agreed to the plea bargain to a life sentence without the opportunity of parole.

Deana and her daughter Sofia Lyrintzis learned that the killer of their husband and father is now asking the Governor of California for a commutation of his sentence.

“I have no words to describe my horror at this news when my daughter and I received a letter from the District Attorney letting us know about the plea for clemency from the killer of my husband and another 2 professors,” said Deana.

A petition has been organized and the family is collecting signatures against this commutation that they will present to the governor of California.

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