Biography:Rafael Robb
Rafael Robb | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1950 |
| Spouse(s) | Ellen Gregory Robb |
| Field | Game theory |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem University of California, Los Angeles |
| Information at IDEAS / RePEc | |
Rafael Robb (born October 31, 1950)[1] is an economist and former professor at the University of Pennsylvania who confessed to killing his wife in 2006.
Academic career
Robb received his bachelor's degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[2] He went on to obtain a Ph.D. in economics at UCLA. Robb joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 1984, and was a tenured professor at the time of his arrest in 2007.[3]
Robb specialized in game theory, a mathematical discipline used to analyze political, economic, and military strategies.[3] He has published numerous papers on game theory and other economic topics with scholars from Greece, Israel, Japan , and the United States .[3] In most of the papers, his family name is spelled as "Rob".[4] He is also a fellow of the Econometric Society, one of the highest honors in economics.[5]
Personal life
Robb grew up in Israel, and emigrated to the US to pursue graduate studies.[6] He met Ellen Gregory Robb, a sales manager, in 1987, and they married in 1990. They have one daughter.[3][6]
Killing of wife
Robb pleaded guilty in November 2007 to voluntary manslaughter in the high-profile death of his wife, Ellen Gregory Robb. She had been bludgeoned to death.[7] Her death occurred on December 22, 2006, during an argument over the couple's divorce and the plans for their home in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania.[8]
Robb was arrested on January 8, 2007, and charged with murder. The case was prosecuted by District Attorney (later County Commissioner specially appointed as prosecutor) Bruce Castor.[6]
Robb pleaded guilty to manslaughter on November 26, 2007, and resigned from the university.[9] Robb was sentenced on November 19, 2008, to a 10-year prison term, though the prosecutor asked for a sentence of 10 to 20 years.[7] He sought parole after five years, as allowed by his sentence. The state board initially approved, and then rescinded, the request.[6]
Civil case
Following Robb's guilty plea, Ellen Gregory Robb's family brought a civil wrongful death suit against him. In 2014, Robb was ordered to pay $124.26 million in compensatory and punitive damages to his deceased wife's estate, of which the sole beneficiary is his daughter. Robb then made an appeal to reduce this to $100 million, claiming that some of the evidence presented against him during the civil trial should not have been permitted as it unfairly influenced jurors against him.[10]
Near the end of his prison sentence, Robb also requested access to frozen assets in order to pay for living expenses. Upon his release, he formally withdrew this plea.[11]
Release
Robb was released from prison on January 8, 2017.[12] After release, he moved to a suburb of Pittsburgh.[6]
Notable publications
- Michihiro Kandori, George J. Mailath, and Rafael Robb: "Learning, Mutation, and Long Run Equilibria in Games", Econometrica, Vol. 61, No. 1 (Jan. 1993), pp. 29–56
References
- ↑ "Probable Cause Affidavit: Commonwealth of Pa. v. Rafael Robb". Findlaw.com. p. 4. http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/crim/pennrafaelrobb010806aff4.html.
- ↑ Schwedel, Heather (January 16, 2007). "Students speak out about Robb". The Daily Pennsylvanian. https://www.thedp.com/article/2007/01/students_speak_out_about_robb.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Boccella, Kathy (January 31, 2007). "Portrait of a doomed marriage". The Philadelphia Inquirer. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/20070131_Portrait_of_a_doomed_marriage_.html.
- ↑ "Rafael Robb". RePEc. https://ideas.repec.org/f/pro566.html.
- ↑ "Fellows of the Econometric Society 1950 to 2018". https://www.econometricsociety.org/society/organization-and-governance/fellows. "RAFAEL ROB, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, ..."
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Volk, Steve (July 29, 2017). "Did This Game Theory Expert Plot the Perfect Murder?". Philadelphia. https://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/07/29/rafael-robb-ellen-murder/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jagoda, Naomi (November 20, 2008). "Robb sentenced 5 to 10 years in prison for killing his wife". The Daily Pennsylvanian. https://www.thedp.com/article/2008/11/robb_sentenced_5_to_10_years_in_prison_for_killing_his_wife.
- ↑ Wasley, Paula (November 26, 2007). "Penn Professor Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter". The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Penn-Professor-Pleads-Guilty/40004.
- ↑ "Ex-Penn Professor Pleads Guilty In Wife's Death". Associated Press. cbs3.com. November 27, 2007. http://cbs3.com/local/Rafael.Robb.University.2.595083.html.
- ↑ Araiza, Karen (December 11, 2014). "Wife Killer Rafael Robb Wants $124M Award to Daughter Reduced". NBC 10 Philadelphia. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/wife-killer-rafael-robb-wants-124m-award-reduced-ellen-olivia-mongeluzzi-duffy-levin/76708/.
- ↑ "Montgomery County Wife Killer Rafael Robb Withdraws Plea for Spending Cash Upon Release". NBC 10 Philadelphia. December 20, 2016. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/rafael-robb-wife-killer-money-release/2041608/.
- ↑ McCrone, Brian X.; Smith, Manuel; Weckerly, Anastasia (January 8, 2017). "Montgomery County Wife Killer Rafael Robb Released from Prison". nbcphiladelphia.com. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Montgomery-County-Wife-Killer-Rafael-Robb-Released-Prison-410014665.html.
External links
- Discovery Communications: Investigation Discovery: Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets: Episode Guide ("Checkmate", second episode on page)
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