Preppy Killer Case & Defense

On August 26, 1986, 19-year-old Robert Chambers and 18-year-old Jennifer Levin, who dated casually over the summer, left Dorrian's Red Hand bar on Manhattan's Upper East Side around 4 am.

Chambers stated...Chambers said he and Levin went to Central Park. She used her underwear to bind his hands behind his back. Chambers claimed he got upset after she repeatedly squeezed his genitals.

Reacting to the pain, Chambers, who measured 6'5" and weighed 220 pounds, claimed he hit Levin in the throat with his arm, knocking her off. Levin, who was 5'4" and half Chambers's weight, fell backward onto the ground.

Chambers said he knew "something was wrong" after Levin fell. He left the scene without trying to revive her and never called 911 for medical help.

Chambers did not flee after killing Levin. He sat on a wall near the crime scene until a cyclist found the 18-year-old's body around 6:15 am and called 911.

Law enforcement and emergency services arrived at the park.Chambers remained in the area.He did not tell any officers he knew Levin. Consequently, police told Chambers, plus other people, to leave the scene.

Detectives examined Levin's body. They found she wore partial clothing and had bruises and cuts. They also saw marks on her neck. The medical examiner later decided she died from strangulation, not a single blow to the throat as Chambers later told authorities.

After police ordered Chambers to leave the park, he went back to the Manhattan apartment he shared with his parents and fell asleep.

After learning Levin's identity and finding out she was at Dorrian's Red Hand before she died, police questioned the bar patrons from that night. Investigators soon learned the victim left with Chambers and went home to question him about his possible role in Levin's death.

Officers reached Chambers's apartment and saw the 19-year-old had...scratches on his neck and face.Officers brought him in for questioning. When investigators asked Chambers how he got the deep scratches, he said his cat (later found to be declawed) caused the injuries.

Chambers eventually admitted killing Levin but denied strangling her. Instead, he told officers her death resulted from rough sex gone wrong.

After giving law enforcement a video confession, Chambers reportedly surprised when they arrested him. While he was being booked,...Chambers reportedly told his father...“That f*cking b*tch, why didn't she leave me alone?”

The press called Levin's journal her "Sex diary" because Chambers's defense attorney said it included details of kinky and aggressive sexual activity by Jennifer Levin with many lovers." One article argued Levin, who a man twice her size strangled, should blame Chambers for her murder in a piece titled, "Jennifer Courted Death."

After Chambers was arrested for Levin's murder, the press called him the "Preppy Murderer." and the "Preppy Killer" because Chambers attended private prep schools like York Prep, Choate, and Browning.

Chambers attended expensive prep schools on Manhattan's Upper East Side, but his parents were not wealthy. His mother worked as a nurse, and his father distributed videotapes. Chambers got into these schools with scholarships.

Levin lived in Manhattan with her father, a successful real estate agent, and her stepmother. Levin attended the Baldwin School, an elite private school for girls. Levin planned to go to college, but Chambers left Boston University after one semester.

Chambers lacked wealth. His mother forced him to network with the elite. Thus, she arranged a play date between Chambers and John F. Kennedy Jr. The mother supposedly nursed JFK Jr. when he had bronchitis. She suggested the young patient and her son go to a restaurant and theater.

The woman, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's assistant then, said Chambers's mother often got upset with her then-five-year-old son for saying the wrong thing.Chambers's mother repeatedly got upset with her then-five-year-old son for saying the wrong thing."

Chambers's mother sent her son to private schools to help him connect with wealthy people. Chambers reportedly took advantage of these ties by stealing from friends. Months before he strangled Jennifer Levin in Central Park, he stole a friend's credit card. He racked up thousands in fake charges, but Chambers's mother convinced the victim not to press charges.

Larceny was not a single event for Chambers. After killing Levin, he was convicted of several burglaries, stealing about $70,000 from Upper East Side penthouses. Some sources claim Chambers committed burglary, petty theft, and credit card fraud toChambers frequently stole from strangers and friends. He did this to support his cocaine habit..

After Chambers was arrested in 1986, he received bond for two years. His trial started January 4, 1988, and lasted about three months.

The jury took nine days to decide but could not reach a unanimous verdict. Chambers accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter, and received a 15-year prison sentence.

Shortly after Chambers went to jail, the press got a videotape taken after he was charged with murder in 1986. The recording showed Chambers with several young women in lingerie. At one point, Chambers strangled a doll.He said to the camera, "Oops, I think I killed it."

After Levin's sister, Danielle Levin Roberts, watched the videotape, which showed Chambers appearing to be mocking Jennifer's death.She told the media, "He's not a person. He's an animal."

In 1988, Levin's parents sued Chambers for wrongful death, seeking $25 million. Chambers pleaded no contest, and he was ordered to pay lump sums to the Levins, plus 10 percent of his wages until the full amount was paid.

In a noteChambers wroteHe told the court, "I elect not to contest the action for damages brought against me by the Levins. My only wish is for the nightmare to end, for both families and friends. I do not wish the Levins to endure any more pain."

Chambers spent 15 years in prison.That was 1,592 days.He spent 1,592 days in solitary confinement for committing nearly 30 serious offenses while incarcerated. Chambers tested positive for drugs multiple times. Prison officials found heroin and marijuana on his person and in his cell. Chambers also struggled to finish college courses and drug rehab treatment; he regularly fought prison guards and other inmates.

In 1988, just months after Chambers was jailed for killing Levin, he received 90 days in solitary confinement after a corrections officer found a modified straight razor in his locker.

Chambers's first parole request failed, partly because Levin's mother told the board, "In my eyes, anything less than the maximum would devalue my daughter's life." Board members denied his release in 1992, believing Chambers would likely break the law again if released.

Chambers seemed somewhat sorry in a note he wrote to the court in 1988 about the wrongful death suit the Levins filed. However, he showed no remorse at his 1994 parole hearing. The hearing transcript shows Chambers told the board:

I guess I could also give you the party line and say I have learned my lesson, I will never do this again. But that's not how I feel at this moment because I have many conflicting emotions.

Shortly after Chambers faced charges for Levin's murder, he started dating Shawn Kovell, a young woman from Manhattan who also appeared in the video where Chambers strangled a doll.

After Chambers pleaded guilty to killing Levin,Kovell stayed loyal to him.He paid him weekly visits until he was released in 2003 after serving 15 years in prison.

After Chambers was released, he and Kovell lived in Georgia for several months. Then, they moved into a Manhattan apartment. Chambers faced multiple drug charges over about three years. In 2007, Chambers and Kovell faced charges for selling cocaine and heroin from their East 57th Street home.

Kovell pleaded guilty to the criminal sale and got probation. Chambers received a much harsher sentence.

Kovell pleaded guilty and got probation after agreeing to a drug treatment program. Chambers first pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for selling a controlled substance. He also admitted using up to 12 bags of heroin daily.

Chambers states he became addicted to drugs at age 14. Narcotics abuse for more than twenty years damaged his judgment and brain.

Chambers eventually pleaded guilty after reaching an agreement with the prosecution. On September 2, 2008, the court sentenced Chambers toChambers received nineteen years and four months in prison for selling drugs, more time than for killing Levin.Chambers got those drug charges instead of 15 years for strangling Levin.

Chambers serves nearly 20 years in prison for selling drugs now. He will beChambers is eligible for parole in 2024.parole on January 25, 2024. Reportedly, his long-time girlfriend Kovell ended their relationship after his 2008 conviction.

Chambers is currently at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, NY. If he gets parole in 2024, Chambers will be 57 years old. He will have spent over half his life in prison.