Wausau, WI (WSAU) – The true crime community is reeling today, as the infamous “Preppy Killer” has been released on parole from the Shawangunk Correction Facility. Robert Emmet Chambers Jr, now age 56, has been paroled from prison after serving 15 years on a separate drug charge.
Before Robert served his second stint in prison due to his charged three counts of selling a controlled substance in the first degree, he was known as the Preppy Killer. His first incarceration was for first-degree manslaughter.
The year was 1986. Robert Chambers lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and was known for his high-flying lifestyle. On the evening of August 25th, he made his way to his local hangout, Dorrian’s Red Hand. It was a bar located on New York City’s Upper East Side and was known for serving alcohol to underage minors. Jennifer Levin, age 18, decided to go out for drinks at the Red Hand that evening, where she met Robert Chambers. The pair was reported leaving the bar together the following morning, around 4:30 AM.
Two hours passed, and a cyclist riding through New York’s Central Park discovered Jennifer’s lifeless body. It had been apparent she was strangled to death. Several of the bar’s patrons came forward, telling the police that they had last seen her alive, leaving Dorrian’s with a young man named Robert. The park was located a few blocks from Dorrian’s.
Officers decided to head to Robert’s home to pay him a visit. When they found 19-year-old Robert, his face was covered with scratches and cuts, and was immediately taken in for questioning. During his interrogation, Chamber’s reportedly changed his story several times, saying things like, “It was his cat that inflicted the scars on his face”. His story then altered to admitting he had been with Jennifer the previous night, and that he accidentally killed her during a sexual encounter. Robert was arrested that day and charged with second-degree murder before his 1988 trial.
On January 3rd, 1988 the blockbuster trial finally began. After 9 long days, a plea bargain was reached by the defense team. Robert pled guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in the first degree and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He served the entirety of his 15-year sentence and was set free on February 14th, 2003.
Robert moved back to Manhattan’s Upper East Side with his girlfriend Shawn Kovell, and began getting into trouble with the law. He served a short stint in jail back in 2005 for driving with a suspended license. Then 2007 came, and Robert Chambers was arrested once more. This time for selling drugs out of his apartment. Robert pled guilty to the drug charges and served 15 of the 19 years of the term.
Robert Chambers Jr will remain on parole through 2028.
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