Rafael Robb
Born (1950-10-31) October 31, 1950
SpouseEllen Gregory Robb
Academic career
FieldGame theory
Alma materHebrew 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 US.[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 The state board initially approved, and then rescinded, the request.[6]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

  1. ↑ "Probable Cause Affidavit: Commonwealth of Pa. v. Rafael Robb". Findlaw.com. p. 4. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017.
  2. ↑ Schwedel, Heather (January 16, 2007). "Students speak out about Robb". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Boccella, Kathy (January 31, 2007). "Portrait of a doomed marriage". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Rafael Robb". IDEAS. RePEc. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Fellows of the Econometric Society 1950 to 2018". Retrieved January 16, 2020. RAFAEL ROB, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, ...
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Volk, Steve (July 29, 2017). "Did This Game Theory Expert Plot the Perfect Murder?". Philadelphia. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Jagoda, Naomi (November 20, 2008). "Robb sentenced 5 to 10 years in prison for killing his wife". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  8. ↑ Wasley, Paula (November 26, 2007). "Penn Professor Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  9. ↑ "Ex-Penn Professor Pleads Guilty In Wife's Death". cbs3.com. Associated Press. November 27, 2007. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008.
  10. ↑ Araiza, Karen (December 11, 2014). "Wife Killer Rafael Robb Wants $124M Award to Daughter Reduced". NBC 10 Philadelphia. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Montgomery County Wife Killer Rafael Robb Withdraws Plea for Spending Cash Upon Release". NBC 10 Philadelphia. December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  12. ↑ McCrone, Brian X.; Smith, Manuel; Weckerly, Anastasia (January 8, 2017). "Montgomery County Wife Killer Rafael Robb Released from Prison". nbcphiladelphia.com. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
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