Former Penn professor Rafael Robb’s parole from prison, originally scheduled for Jan. 28, is now on hold so that the parole board can consider the victim’s family’s point of view, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Robb, who received his parole decision in November, has been in prison since 2007 for killing his wife, Ellen Robb, in December 2006.
The decision to reconsider parole was made after a meeting in Harrisburg on Tuesday between the victim’s brother, Gary Gregory, and Michael Potteiger, chairman of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole.
After Ellen Robb’s family members became aware of Robb’s impending freedom, they — along with current Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman and former DA Bruce Castor — began lobbying the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole to reconsider its decision.
The group was joined in their opposition to Robb’s parole by former Judge Paul Tressler, who sentenced Robb in 2008. He wrote a letter to the parole board calling Robb “a highly manipulative individual” and noting that this is the first time he has ever attempted to have a parole decision overturned.
Robb was sentenced in 2008 to five to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with his wife’s death. He admitted to bludgeoning her to death with a chin-up bar after an argument over their daughter’s holiday travel plans.
Taking into consideration the jail time he served before his sentence, Robb has served a total of six years in prison.
According to NBC News, Potteiger promises that a decision will be made about Robb’s parole by Jan. 28
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