GUILTY PA - Ellen Robb, 49, beaten to death, Montgomery County, 22 Dec 2006

[PrayersForMaura]

Good thing his passport was seized. I wonder if going back to his country could've kept him from being charged for murder.

I'm assuming he could still leave the country with a fake passport, right??
Does Israel release people back to America or other countries if they're potenially given a death sentence?


"Investigators have searched Rafael Robb's Penn office and the couple's cars and seized computers and financial records. They also asked the professor to surrender his passport; he complied."
from this article: http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/16349918.htm

 

[ohdear]

I agree, as well, about the timing with Olivia coming home. I believe that he didn't want her to see what he'd done, (compassionate enough about his daughter not to traumatize her in that way?)
QUOTE]

Yeah, although he was odd about things...he did always want to do right by Olivia. I think that is why he called just minutes before she got off the school bus.

 

[AlwaysShocked]

I think one of the things that is going to convict the husband is his statement to LE during his initial call to report the murder. He told them "her head is cracked". Yet, when experienced police officers AND the experienced medical examiner looked at her body, the damage to her head/face was so severe they were each convinced that she had been shot - with a shotgun! They were so convinced of this being a gunshot murder that they performed testing for gunshot residue on the husband's hands (he consented to the testing).

It was only after the autopsy that it was established that she had not been shot, that she her head been bludgeoned "with a long, cylindrical object".

So how did hubby know to say that her "head was cracked" on that initial call?

 

[nanandjim]

...In the cases I am aware of, one partner (the wife in both cases) had actually filed for divorce before she died. Whether Ellen had gotten that far is unclear. If not, the court might not be willing to extend the rule to someone who had indicated interest in getting a divorce but had not taken formal steps...

One of the news articles states, "She told the real estate agent that she would be getting $4,000 a month from her husband, and she told the couple's 12-year-old daughter that she was expecting a large sum of money from the girl's father because 'he kept a lot of money in banks overseas,' according to court documents."

This statement leads me to believe that Ellen was fairly far along in the divorce process. She knew of her husband's holdings and knew what she was expected to receive once separated and/or divorced. Since she was set to get her own place on January 1, I believe that her husband also had seen the papers and perhaps had signed them.

I read the post that said Robb probably made $150,000 a year. That sounds in line with the $4,000 a month that she expected to receive. The $4,000 a month comes out to about 40 percent of his income considering the tax that he is paying on that amount ($4000x12=$48000x1.25=60000/150000=.40). That's about the percentage that my husband paid to his ex-wife.

Then, Robb was probably going to have to give her a lump sum from his savings and possibly money from his retirement as well as possibly having to sell the marital home, yada, yada, yada.

From his way of thinking, it probably enraged him that he would be forced to give all of HIS money that HE earned and that HE saved to his good-for-nothing wife who didn't earn it or deserve it.

When he realized that she really was leaving him, he beat her to death rather than give her a dime. For some reason, I guess that he feels that living life behind bars is better than sharing the marital assets with her.

 

[luthersmama]

One of the news articles states, "She told the real estate agent that she would be getting $4,000 a month from her husband, and she told the couple's 12-year-old daughter that she was expecting a large sum of money from the girl's father because 'he kept a lot of money in banks overseas,' according to court documents."

This statement leads me to believe that Ellen was fairly far along in the divorce process. She knew of her husband's holdings and knew what she was expected to receive once separated and/or divorced. Since she was set to get her own place on January 1, I believe that her husband also had seen the papers and perhaps had signed them.

I read the post that said Robb probably made $150,000 a year. That sounds in line with the $4,000 a month that she expected to receive. The $4,000 a month comes out to about 40 percent of his income considering the tax that he is paying on that amount ($4000x12=$48000x1.25=60000/150000=.40). That's about the percentage that my husband paid to his ex-wife.

Then, Robb was probably going to have to give her a lump sum from his savings and possibly money from his retirement as well as possibly having to sell the marital home, yada, yada, yada.

From his way of thinking, it probably enraged him that he would be forced to give all of HIS money that HE earned and that HE saved to his good-for-nothing wife who didn't earn it or deserve it.

When he realized that she really was leaving him, he beat her to death rather than give her a dime. For some reason, I guess that he feels that living life behind bars is better than sharing the marital assets with her.

There is nothing filed in court for the new divorce. She might have gotten a separation agreement on paper, but she had a long, long road ahead. I doubt that she knew the full extent of what he had hidden.

 

[Peter Hamilton]

Maura, I don't believe Israel would send anybody back to the USA if they faced the death penalty--Israel has only executed one person in its history--Eichmann, who helped create the Nazi death camps

 

[Hedidit]

I wonder if there's anyway to find out if he still has family there and if we could find out where they are and if they know. He mentioned his mother at the church service, but not sure if she is still alive. C'mon Luthersmama...you 'must' have some idea how to find out....dig into that legal hat that you wear so well.

 

[luthersmama]

I wonder if there's anyway to find out if he still has family there and if we could find out where they are and if they know. He mentioned his mother at the church service, but not sure if she is still alive. C'mon Luthersmama...you 'must' have some idea how to find out....dig into that legal hat that you wear so well.

I just assume he still has relatives in Israel. Can someone ask Olivia's friends if she has mentioned aunts, uncles or cousins?

 

[ohdear]

well, if someone looks into it- remember his last name was Rob. He changed it to Robb because it was misspelled all of the time. I think Ellen's cousin posted that somewhere else.

 

[Hedidit]

I just assume he still has relatives in Israel. Can someone ask Olivia's friends if she has mentioned aunts, uncles or cousins?

Difficult but possible. Wouldn't that be the 'get all'....for his family to find out what he did. Especially since his mother adored Ellen.

 

[luthersmama]

As to the finances, he was in no danger at all of losing the house. It is worth between $350,000 and $400,000. The outstanding balance on the mortgage is about $90,000. About $1000 - $1200 per month plus insurance and taxes. He could have kept the house. He just couldn't hide/invest as much cash as he had been for the past decade or so. Boo. Hoo.

:twocents:

 

[Hedidit]

Any way to find out what he 'has' overseas???? Wish he knew about the law re: divorce/spouse/dead....monies still are split!

 

[Clearly Confused]

Prof suspected in murder won't teach

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/16393829.htm

I have been waiting for this to happen.

I love the last paragraph, mutual agreement my butt....lol

Robb remains a full, tenured professor, but under a mutual agreement, another instructor will take over the graduate seminar he was scheduled to teach on game theory, university spokeswoman Lori Doyle said.

 

[fran]

I think one of the things that is going to convict the husband is his statement to LE during his initial call to report the murder. He told them "her head is cracked". Yet, when experienced police officers AND the experienced medical examiner looked at her body, the damage to her head/face was so severe they were each convinced that she had been shot - with a shotgun! They were so convinced of this being a gunshot murder that they performed testing for gunshot residue on the husband's hands (he consented to the testing).

It was only after the autopsy that it was established that she had not been shot, that she her head been bludgeoned "with a long, cylindrical object".

So how did hubby know to say that her "head was cracked" on that initial call?

Obviously LE has taken note of this statement as well. Ooops.......he said it to the 911 operator! :loser:

fran

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/16379722.htm

The trauma to Robb's head "was so severe" that forensic detectives initially believed she had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. It wasn't until the autopsy that investigators learned she had been pummeled to death. The beating was "likely a blitz attack that occurred without warning," said two experts in forensic psychiatry and psychology, according to the court documents.

Still, Rafael Robb told the 911 operator that her "head is cracked," Castor said.

"How could he know that unless he was the killer?" Castor asked.

 

[KatK]

I agree. He was premeditating his alibis: wanting le to look at the fruit he purchased (from a cash store so there's no time-stamped receipt!) And I truly believe he KNEW he'd get a ticket and "camped out" there, specifically to get said ticket.
I agree, as well, about the timing with Olivia coming home. I believe that he didn't want her to see what he'd done, (compassionate enough about his daughter not to traumatize her in that way?)
There are so many things & I just haven't had enough coffee yet.
So nice to see those close to this case...we appreciate your insight into this case!

I don't know that it was "compassion for Olivia" so much as enlightened self interest. This way Olivia will see her father as her protector, sparing her from seeing the horrors of her mother's death. In her mind, he's innocent, he found his wife murdered. He arranged it so that he could keep the wool pulled over his daughter's eyes.

 

[ohdear]

Bruce Castor is strongly considering a run for county commissioner. He isn't going to put himself out there on a huge murder case- saying that the Dr. Robb is the main suspect if he didn't have a good amount of evidence not yet shared with the public.

 

[nanandjim]

As to the finances, he was in no danger at all of losing the house. It is worth between $350,000 and $400,000. The outstanding balance on the mortgage is about $90,000. About $1000 - $1200 per month plus insurance and taxes. He could have kept the house. He just couldn't hide/invest as much cash as he had been for the past decade or so. Boo. Hoo.

:twocents:

I was thinking that the judge could have ordered that she be allowed to stay in the home with the minor child until the child was grown -- or -- ordered that the home be sold and the profits be split.

 

[ohdear]

I was thinking that the judge could have ordered that she be allowed to stay in the home with the minor child until the child was grown -- or -- ordered that the home be sold and the profits be split.

I agree- if she took it to a judge. The last time she was proceeding with a divorce- Dr. Robb refused to leave the house! Ellen didn't take it further than that and then eventually withdrew the petition.

 

[luthersmama]

Back when she filed the first time, the home was a bigger component of their marital estate, I suspect. Now it is less of an issue because he must have alot of cash invested elsewhere. He could give her cash equal to her share of the house.

BTW, she never withdrew the petition according to the court records. It was discontinued because of nothing was filed for a decade.

 

[Gracelin]

I think you are correct, The house gets split, All the money in the bank, and half of his 401k would go to her as well, making it half of all he owns that could be allot of money.

Pa divorces can get ugly.. When my hubby divorced his 1st wife She got 63 percent of everything!