Convicted Wife Killer's Attempt To Protect $3 Million In Assets From Wife's Estate Denied
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Convicted wife-killer Rafael Robb's attempt to protect $3 million in assets from his wife's estate has been denied under a Pennsylvania law known as the "Slayer's Act."
The estate of Ellen Gregory, who was murdered by husband Rafael Robb in 2006, had previously won a $124-million verdict against Robb. But Robb argued a $2-million-plus pension and IRA accounts should be exempt.
While pension funds are typically immune from creditors there is the exception of divorce. And while Gregory had not yet ended her marriage with Robb, attorney for her estate, Robert Mongeluzzi says she'd begun the process:
"The court correctly ruled he murdered her to avoid a divorce and therefore should not get the benefit of that under what's known as the Pennsylvania Slayer's Act."
The Slayer's Act prevents a murderer from benefiting from the killing.
Mongeluzzi calls it a landmark decision, unique in that the court will now hold a hearing on alimony and equitable distribution, which never took place since Gregory was murdered.
