Academia can be a killer. Theodore Streleski was a mathematician at Stanford University in the 1970s. After his adviser, Karel deLeeuw told him he wouldn't be given a PhD from the university after he had been a graduate student for 19 years he snapped.
He took a ball peen hammer, aka small sledgehammer, and bludgeoned Karel to death. That was in 1978 and he only got 7 years in prison for the murder. He said it was his creative way of protesting the college denying him his PhD after working for so long for it.
Shortly after the murder he turned himself in saying it was justifiable homicide, because he'd been withheld department awards and been demeaned in front of other students. He'd also been denied financial support. He never admitted any guilt or remorse for his actions and never said it was a one time kill. He left it open to interpretation that he might kill again one day. He still got out after only seven years behind bars calling it a political statement.