Family outrage as killer who brutally murdered woman as she walked to work is released after serving just 26 years in prison

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A man sentenced to 60 years to life in prison in 1989 has been released after serving less than half of his sentence due to a lack of physical evidence.

David Weinberg was convicted in 1989 of the murder of Joyce Stochmal, a 19-year-old college graduate and aspiring veterinarian. 

Stochmal was stabbed to death in August 1984 while walking to her job at an animal clinic in a small Connecticut town. 

Joyce Stochmal, a 19-year-old college graduate and aspiring veterinarian was stabbed to death in August 1984 while walking to her job at an animal clinic in a small Connecticut town

David Weinberg was convicted in 1989 of the murder of Joyce Stochmal, but was released Thursday as his conviction was cut short on Thursday, though he was not exonerated and his murder conviction remains intact

She was abducted, beaten and stabbed 17 times before her body was disposed of in a lake in Newtown, Connecticut.  

Her parents, Charles and Mary Ann Stochmal,  believe that the decision is a 'grave injustice'.

They said in a courtroom statement: 'Our family still grieves. Time should heal but in our case it intensifies now with an individual found guilty and convicted to 60 years is going free after not even half of his sentence,' reported Fox News.

Weinberg was initially sentenced to 60 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but was cut short on Thursday, though he was not exonerated and his murder conviction remains intact. 

She was abducted, beaten and stabbed 17 times before her body was disposed of in a lake in Newtown, Connecticut

His 'sentence modification' happened through the help of the Connecticut Innocence Project, which is a nonprofit taxpayer-funded organization that works to exonerate wrongly convicted individuals through DNA testing. 

Darcy McGraw, director of the group, told the judge that Weinberg has always maintained that he is innocent and that there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime. 

Stochmal's family, however, said that state police and prosecutors conducted an intense investigation that proved Weinberg's guilt in a court of law. 

They also said that Connecticut Innocence Project did not prove his innocence. 

'David Weinberg was found guilty then. He is guilty still,' the victim's sister Marianne Hefferman told Fox News outside the courthouse. 

'The fact that he is about to walk out of this courthouse as a convicted murderer is something that every resident in this state should be upset about. And he used taxpayer dollars to do it'. 

On August 3, 1984, Stochmal had dinner with her family before leaving her home for an overnight shift at the Silver Kills Kennel in Ansonia, Connecticut. 

Authorities believe that Weinberg was driving along Route 188 when he spotted her walking alone, her purse and duffel bag in her hand, which contained a small makeup case, Calvin Klein jeans and an orange T-shirt. 

It is then reported that Weinberg grabbed her and took her to an area beneath a nearby bridge, where he stabbed her repeatedly and left her for dead in Lake Zoar. 

Weinberg was arrested and charged with murder in May 1985, and a jury found him guilty three years later after 10 hours of deliberations, reported Fox

Her body was found three days later by people fishing in the lake, reported Fox.

Weinberg's then-girlfriend, Debby Lester, helped convict him, as she told investigators that his behavior was strange in the days following the murder. 

She told investigators that he painted the rims of his car wheels from black to white, and stopped carrying a buck knife on his belt. She also claimed that he brought her to a small campfire near the Promperaug River, where state police recovered charred items belonging to the victim, including orange fabric consistent with her T-shirt and a Calvin Klein button. 

Weinberg was arrested and charged with murder in May 1985, and a jury found him guilty three years later after 10 hours of deliberations, reported Fox. 

Though his attorney immediately filed an appeal, he was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole on January , 1989. After 20 years of appeals, the state appellate court affirmed the conviction on Jan 13, 2009. 

The Connecticut Innocence Project took his case in 2010, and filed a new habeas corpus motion. 

Last month the State's Attorney Marueen Platt (pictured) and McGaw signed off on a motion for 'sentence modification'

Last month the State's Attorney Marueen Platt and McGraw signed off on a motion for 'sentence modification'. 

Modification changes his life sentence without possibility of parole to 'time served', and in a testimony before Judge Roland Fasano of the Waterbury District Superior Court, McGraw stressed the lack of physical evidence linking Weinberg to the murder. 

She also said that foreign DNA found under Stochmal's fingernail did not belong to Weinberg, which she believe 'excludes' her client. 

McGraw further described Weinberg's then-girlfriend as 'seriously mentally ill', reported Fox. 

However, Stochmal's family believes that Weinberg killed their daughter, and maintains the integrity of the investigation and original conviction. 

Heffernan and her family all wore pins saying 'Justice for Joyce' on Thursday, and she said that the release reopened a 33-year-old wound. 

She believes that Weinberg, who has a criminal record including sexual assault, poses a threat to the public.