Community Corner
Robb Parole On Hold
After meeting with family members of murder victim Ellen Robb, the state parole board is said to be reconsidering a decision that would have made the former U. Penn professor a free man next week.
Update 11:05 a.m.: The state parole board has reportedly reversed its decision to parole Rafael Robb following yesterday's meeting with family members of Ellen Robb. A formal announcement is expected this afternoon.
Earlier story below.
Rafael Robb, the former University of Pennsylvania professor who bludgeoned his wife to death in their Upper Merion home in 2006, may yet remain behind bars.
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The Pa. Board of Probation and Parole had previously approved Robb's release for next week, after Robb served the minimum portion of a 5-10 year sentence. Robb received the sentence following a plea agreement that saw him plead guilty to a voluntary manslaughter charge.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that members of victim Ellen Robb's family met with the chairman of the Pa. Board of Probation and Parole on Tuesday, and that Ellen Robb's brothers, Gary and Art Gregory, are "optimistic" that the board will reverse its decision.
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As news of Robb's pending release emerged last week, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman, State Representative Mike Vereb, and other officials began to call on the Board of Probation and Parole to reconsider the decision. Vereb said the parole board had violated state law by failing to give Ellen Robb's family proper notice of the parole decision and by not permitting them to appear before the parole board as the parole was being considered.
The Inquirer reports that according to Vereb, the parole board's code conflicts with state law by not affording victims or their representatives the chance to oppose a parole.
A decision on Robb's parole is expected by Jan. 28.
