University Fires Security Director for Opinions on Criminal Case
MALIBU, Calif. — A former FBI agent, who served as the head of campus security at Pepperdine University, was fired for sharing his viewpoint about a controversial case involving an American student who was convicted of murder in Italy.
Steve Moore, who retired from the FBI two years ago, was the Deputy Director of Public Safety at the university. Upon his arrival, Moore improved campus safety and received good performance reviews, reports CBS News.
However, the university did not support Moore’s opinions of the Amanda Knox case in which Knox was convicted of killing her roommate in Perugia in 2007. Moore, believing that Knox was innocent after researching the case, expressed his views on the Internet and CBS News’ “The Early Show,” stating that there was no evidence to support Knox’s conviction. During the interview, Moore never associated his views with Pepperdine University and identified himself as a former FBI agent.
Meanwhile, university officials told Moore that he would have to resign if he didn’t stop speaking about Knox, according to CBS News. Moore was fired on Sept. 29 when he refused to resign and to stop speaking about the Knox case.
For his part, Moore is now looking into his legal options in regards to his termination.
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