| Rafael Robb | |
| Birth Date: | 31 October 1950 |
| Spouse: | Ellen Gregory Robb |
| Field: | Game theory |
| Alma Mater: | Hebrew University of Jerusalem University of California, Los Angeles |
| Repec Prefix: | f |
| Repec Id: | pro566 |
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.
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]
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]
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 The state board initially approved, and then rescinded, the request.[6]
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]
Robb was released from prison on January 8, 2017.[12] After release, he moved to a suburb of Pittsburgh.[6]