Ivy League Professor Slays Wife While Wrapping Christmas Presents

By Pamela Mortimer

Rafael Robb, a former professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania, has confessed to bludgeoning his wife while she wrapped the family’s Christmas presents last December. According to Robb. He and his wife, Ellen, had gotten into an argument and he "just lost it". Ellen Robb, 49, was beaten to death in the kitchen of their home in Upper Merion Township, a suburb of Philadelphia. Robb, who had been given the opportunity to plead guilty to a manslaughter charge, faces a potential prison sentence of 4½ to 7 years.

Robb, 57, a native of Israel, had earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles, in 1981. He had been a tenured professor at Penn for at least four years before the slaying took place.

Robb testified Monday that he and Ellen got into a heated argument regarding a trip she was taking with their daughter. Robb was concerned whether they would be returning in time for their daughter to return to school.

"We started a discussion about that. The discussion was tense," Robb said. "We were both anxious about it. We both got angry. At one point, Ellen pushed me. ... I just lost it."

"It's a classic heat-of-passion killing," said Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor.

Robb's attorney stated that Robb feared his wife was planning to leave him and would keep their daughter from him.

Robb spoke to his daughter, Olivia, by phone over the weekend and confessed to the murder. Father and daughter have not seen each other since Robb’s arrest earlier this year.

Upon investigation, detectives developed the theory that the scene had been staged to look like a burglary. Partially wrapped Christmas presents were in the area. According to Castor, the murder weapon — a chin-up bar that hadn't been installed yet — had not been found.

Police think Robb assumed that he could outsmart them due to his expertise in game theory, a complex melding of psychology, human behavior and economics — all aimed at determining what one's adversary will do next.

The Robbs had been married since 1990 but had been estranged. They maintained separate bedrooms but still resided in the house. Ellen Robb was described as a stay-at-home mother who doted on their only child, a 13-year-old daughter.

Robb apologized to his daughter, Olivia, and other members of the family in court on Monday.

"I know she liked her mother. ... And now she doesn't have a mother," he said, stifling tears.