Robert Chambers (criminal)
Robert Emmet Chambers Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 25, 1966 |
| Other names | The Preppy Killer The Central Park Strangler |
| Known for | Killing of Jennifer Levin |
| Criminal status | Paroled |
| Parents |
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| Convictions | First degree manslaughter First degree criminal sale of a controlled substance Second degree assault Second degree burglary |
| Criminal penalty | 5 to 15 years imprisonment (1988) 19 years imprisonment (2008) |
Robert Emmet Chambers Jr. (born September 25, 1966) is an American criminal. Dubbed the Preppy Killer and the Central Park Strangler, Chambers gained notoriety for the August 26, 1986, strangulation death of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin in New York City's Central Park, for which he was originally charged with second degree murder. Chambers changed his story several times during the course of the ensuing investigation, ultimately claiming that Levin's death was the accidental result of him pushing her off of him as she purportedly sexually assaulted him, an account that was characterized by media accounts as one of "rough sex." Chambers later pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a jury failed to reach a verdict after nine days of deliberation.