Convicted killer studying law at Tulane

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NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A convicted killer attending Louisiana's Tulane Law School is creating controversy among fellow students.

Bruce Reilly, 38, a first-year law student and convicted killer who has worked to promote prisoner rights, is attending Tulane on two scholarships, ABC News reported Monday.

His past was relatively unknown on campus until he was written about in the law blog "Above the Law." He now faces scrutiny from some students over his admission and scholarships, as well as concerns from students who fear he could be a danger to the campus.

Reilly was arrested in 1993 for killing Charles Russell, an English professor at Community College of Rhode Island, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported. He served 12 years in prison after pleading no contest to second-degree murder and robbery.

David Meyer, dean of Tulane's School of Law, said the school's admission process "allows for exceptional circumstances if the prospective student's experience and background will contribute to his and his peers' study and appreciation of various aspects of the law."

Reilly told The Times-Picayune he became interested in the law while in prison and after his release worked for several non-profits involving prison rights. He received a Dean's Merit Scholarship and an NAACP Legal Defense Fund scholarship for Tulane.