The family of a suburban Philadelphia woman beaten to death in 2006 by her husband, then a University of Pennsylvania professor, will renew their plea on Monday to keep her killer behind bars.
Rafael Robb pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2007 for bludgeoning his wife, Ellen Gregory Robb, to death using a chin-up bar in the couple's King of Prussia home in 2006. Robb, as part of a negotiated plea deal, is up for parole this week.
Robb was sentenced to 10 years in prison and has a year and a half left on his full sentence. Ellen Gregory Robb's family are fighting for the confessed killer to finish out his full sentence.
Gary Gregory, Ellen Gregory Robb's brother, called the man "controlling, manipulative and unremorseful." He vowed to fight vigorously to prove to the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, which is considering the parole request, that it should not be granted.
State legislators are also speaking out against Robb's early release
“Rafael Robb savagely took Ellen Gregory’s life in her prime and yet he still believes he has paid his debt to society,” State Rep. Mike Vereb said in a statement. “His daughter – not him - deserves our deepest sympathy and support. I continue to marvel at her courage and resolve, and regret that Robb, who enjoyed due process that was initially denied Ellen’s family, was never tried by a jury for his horrific crimes.”
Temple University opened its 3:30 p.m. Board of Trustees meeting Monday to the community so that school officials could talk with residents about the university's proposal to build a football stadium at its North Philadelphia campus.
During the meeting, the Board approved a $1 million "feasibility study" that will determine whether a new stadium can be built.
The plan for the stadium, which would cost about $100 million and hold 35,000 people, has been met with protests by students, who expressed concerns over the cost. The university has argued that it would be better to invest the money currently spent on using Lincoln Financial Field for Temple football games in a stadium on campus.
Community members and students were expected to protest Monday's Board of Trustees meeting as well, according to a news release sent Monday morning.
Anna Barnett, a Temple student and organizer of 15 Now Temple, a group that opposes the stadium, said her group would prefer that Temple spend the money instead on better paying its employees and educators, opening a sex-assault crisis center on campus and enhancing academics.
"We want to see our university actually prioritize education and the community," Barnett said in an emailed statement.
Temple University officials have said they want to use the momentum of last year's successful football season to build the stadium on campus and bring alumni back, NBC10's Deanna Durante reported. University officials and trustees said they want to work with the community on the stadium plan.
A Bucks County, Pennsylvania, woman convicted of misdemeanor charges in a 2014 beating of a gay couple in Center City learned her fate on Monday.
Kathryn Knott, 25, was sentenced to five to ten months in jail for her role in the attack.
A jury in December acquitted Knott of felony aggravated assault charges, but found her guilty of charges including simple assault, reckless endangerment and conspiracy. She sobbed in court after the verdict was read.
Knott was one of 15 friends, some from the same Catholic high school, who were out celebrating a birthday the night of the attack in September 2014. The victims were walking to the city's popular "Gayborhood" to get pizza.
Witnesses identified Knott as having thrown a punch during the assault, which was partially captured on surveillance video. She denied punching anyone and told jurors she moved toward the victims to intervene.
Knott is the only defendant of three arrested in the assault who did not take a plea deal. Two men also arrested in the attack, Philip Williams and Kevin Harrigan, both pleaded guilty to assault and conspiracy charges and are serving probation and community service.
Police in Philadelphia on Monday were searching for a rental car stolen in a gunpoint carjacking Sunday night.
The carjacking happened shortly after 8 p.m. at 9th and Luzerne streets, in the city's Hunting Park neighborhood. Police said carjackers armed with guns approached the victim at the intersection and stole the car, a black Chevy Cruze with Ohio tags.
Police continued to search for the car Monday morning.
Tipsters should contact East Detectives at 215-686-3253.
Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy and former NFL running back Curtis Brinkley were involved in an altercation with two off-duty Philadelphia police officers at an Old City nightclub this weekend, according to a police report obtained by NBC10. The incident occurred at Recess around 2:45 early Sunday morning, according to police.
According to the police report, there was “a dispute over the purchase of champagne” between the men when “[Brinkley] grabbed the bottle.” That touched off an altercation between McCoy, Brinkley, Tamarcus Porter, Christopher Henderson and the two off-duty officers, according to the report.
Philadelphia police said one of the off-duty officers was punched, knocked to the ground, kicked and stomped on by all four of the suspects. He suffered a broken nose, broken ribs and other injuries.
The second off-duty officer, who stepped in to break up the fight, suffered more serious injuries including broken ribs and a possible skull fracture, according to the report.
Philadelphia police said the investigation into the incident continued Monday and no arrests had been made.
The Buffalo Bills released a statement saying they are aware of the incident and are investigating. They declined further comment.
McCoy played six seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to Buffalo. Brinkley is a Philadelphia native and attended West Catholic High School. He played for the Chargers and Bears between 2009 and 2013.
Calls to representatives of McCoy were not returned.
A 52-year-old Cheltenham man is being held on $30,000 bail after police say he fled from a traffic stop while driving drunk in Philadelphia and dragged a police officer alongside his car.
Police said on Monday that Kevin Cooke, of the unit block of Boncouer Road, was driving a 2008 silver Infiniti without headlights just before 2 a.m. on Lancaster Avenue near 52nd Street in West Philadelphia. Police pulled Cooke over near 60th Street and Lancaster Avenue, and when the officers approached the car, police said, they could smell alcohol and noticed the driver's eyes looked glassy and bloodshot.
Before officers could talk with Cooke, police said, he shifted the car into gear and took off, knocking one of the cops off balance. The officer grabbed onto the car to avoid falling under it and being run over, police said, and was dragged several yards as Cooke accelerated away. Police said the officer finally let go and skidded about 20 feet on the pavement as Cooke took off.
The officer was uninjured.
About a half-hour later, other police who heard the description of Cooke's car over the radio spotted him on City Avenue near Belmont. The officers tried to stop Cooke in the Target parking lot at City and Monument, but Cooke again eluded officers and fled.
When Cooke got to Ridge Avenue and Kelly Drive, however, police said he crashed into cars on a highway ramp and bailed out of his car on foot. Police chased him and caught him on a tennis court off Ridge Avenue, police said.
Court records show that Cooke was charged with aggravated assault, DUI, eluding law enforcement, driving without a license, reckless endangerment and related offenses. He was arraigned Sunday and his bail was set at $30,000.
The Philadelphia Eagles announced Monday they have released veteran wide receiver Riley Cooper.
Cooper, 28, had been with the Eagles since 2010, when he was drafted in the fifth round out of Florida. The Eagles will save $2.9 million against their cap in 2016 by cutting Cooper, who was scheduled to have a cap hit of $5.3 million.
In his six year career with the Eagles, Cooper caught 169 passes and had 18 touchdowns. In 2015, he has 21 catches for 327 yeards and 2 touchdowns.
A man died from his injuries following a shooting in Philadelphia Monday. The 49-year-old man was on 62nd and Market streets at 5:13 p.m. when an unidentified gunman opened fire.
The man was struck once in the left torso. He was taken by responding police officers to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he died from his injuries at 5:36 p.m.
No arrests have been made. Police continue to investigate.
A national property management company committed to fixing a Montgomery County communities water system after the NBC 10 Investigators got involved. Complaints of broken water pipes, sewage backups and an environmentally compromised home demolition have the attention of Lower Providence Township staff and the Montgomery County Health Department.
The complaints came from residents at the Sunnyside Mobile Home Park in Eagleville. Initially residents were concerned about the way an old mobile home was demolished in the community. “It was pretty bad," one of the workers demolishing the home said. "It was a moldy house. It wasn’t the greatest place. That’s for sure.”
The NBC 10 Investigators found Lower Providence Township issued at least six notices of violation for conditions at the park.
“The insulation and mold was airborne," neighbor Patricia Durdeen said. "Our home is just feet away." Lower Providence Township officials cited Sunnyside property owners, United Mobile Homes (UMH) for demolition without a permit and other violations which the township manager said included failing to wet down the structure and not bagging smaller materials to prevent mold and dust from becoming airborne.
“They didn’t follow proper protocol in the demolition to make sure there wouldn’t be a dispersion of mold or dust," Lower Providence Township Manager Rich Gestrich told the NBC 10 Investigators.
In an email, a UMH spokesman wrote the company only received two violation notices. The township claims and records show at least seven violations were issued since December 23, 2015.
Residents have also expressed concern over broken water pipes and what the township confirmed was at least one sewage back up. Notices to residents show the Sunnyside community was told to boil water at least three times since September because of "risk from microbial contamination." UMH said the boil water warnings were precautionary.
Lower Providence Township issued UMH another health and safety violation in January because of an uncovered hole left behind as the company looked for a recent water line break. “It wasn’t properly secured," Gestrich said. "There was an excavation. It had water in it.”
Lower Providence Township and Montgomery County Health officials said Sunnyside's water and sewer lines are buried only feet underground which is why they often break.
County Health officials say when pipes lose positive pressure contamination can seep in.
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental protection said Sunnyside's water was safe when it tested.
UMH officials would not schedule a time to discuss Sunnyside resident concerns on camera. UMH attorney Craig Koster said he had "no comment" when asked about what the company planned to do to fix the reported issues at Sunnyside.
In a response to an OSHA complaint about the demolition at 38 Ivy Circle, Koster wrote that the contractor the company hired took extra safety precautions, including wearing respirators and gloves, to prevent their exposure to mold. It also used a mixture of water and Clorox bleach to suppress mold spores.
The NBC 10 Investigators tried to talk to Koster as he arrived at a meeting at the Lower Providence Township offices to discuss resident health and safety concerns.
Two days after the meeting, Sunnyside spokesman Ken Frydman emailed the following comments:
Sunnyside's is on a public water system. The name of the water utility is Pennsylvania American Water. Sunnyside has a certified water operator that routinely inspects the water to make sure it meets PADEP standards.
Sunnyside's water has always been found to be in compliance with PADEP standards and the community has never received a violation notice from PADEP or the Health Department. All home removal is performed by licensed contractors.
Sunnyside management has worked diligently to remove all abandoned homes since it acquired the community. The abandonment process is Pennsylvania takes a minimum of 3-4 months to complete.
There are currently only two abandoned homes left in the community and both of them should be removed within the next 30 days.
We are unaware of any resident complaints to government agencies about the community except from one particular resident regarding the water quality and a water leak that had occurred in the community.
The water was tested by both the community and the Health Department and the water was found to meet all PADEP standards. The water leak has been repaired and management will be replacing all water lines in the community this year.
Many residents have thanked Sunnyside management since it acquired the community in 2013 for investing in the community and taking steps to transform it into a first-class communities (sic) that residents can be proud to call home.
In addition to replacing all water lines and removing abandoned homes, management will be replacing the community's street signs, and is planning additional improvements such as the installation of a playground and constructing an office in the community to have on-site management during all weekday business hours.
The community currently has a 24 hour emergency line in place for residents. Management has only been issued two violation notices by the Township, both of which were solely related to home demolition activities and the concerns have been addressed.
The Township will be coming to inspect the community to confirm that the issues have been resolved and close out the violations. The community has not received any violation notices from the County Health Department or PADEP.
A national property management company committed to fixing a Montgomery County communities water system after the NBC 10 Investigators got involved. Complaints of broken water pipes, sewage backups and an environmentally compromised home demolition have the attention of Lower Providence Township staff and the Montgomery County Health Department.
The complaints came from residents at the Sunnyside Mobile Home Park in Eagleville. Initially residents were concerned about the way an old mobile home was demolished in the community. “It was pretty bad," one of the workers demolishing the home said. "It was a moldy house. It wasn’t the greatest place. That’s for sure.”
The NBC 10 Investigators found Lower Providence Township issued at least six notices of violation for conditions at the park.
“The insulation and mold was airborne," neighbor Patricia Durdeen said. "Our home is just feet away." Lower Providence Township officials cited Sunnyside property owners, United Mobile Homes (UMH) for demolition without a permit and other violations which the township manager said included failing to wet down the structure and not bagging smaller materials to prevent mold and dust from becoming airborne.
“They didn’t follow proper protocol in the demolition to make sure there wouldn’t be a dispersion of mold or dust," Lower Providence Township Manager Rich Gestrich told the NBC 10 Investigators.
In an email, a UMH spokesman wrote the company only received two violation notices. The township claims and records show at least seven violations were issued since December 23, 2015.
Residents have also expressed concern over broken water pipes and what the township confirmed was at least one sewage back up. Notices to residents show the Sunnyside community was told to boil water at least three times since September because of "risk from microbial contamination." UMH said the boil water warnings were precautionary.
Lower Providence Township issued UMH another health and safety violation in January because of an uncovered hole left behind as the company looked for a recent water line break. “It wasn’t properly secured," Gestrich said. "There was an excavation. It had water in it.”
Lower Providence Township and Montgomery County Health officials said Sunnyside's water and sewer lines are buried only feet underground which is why they often break.
County Health officials say when pipes lose positive pressure contamination can seep in.
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental protection said Sunnyside's water was safe when it tested.
UMH officials would not schedule a time to discuss Sunnyside resident concerns on camera. UMH attorney Craig Koster said he had "no comment" when asked about what the company planned to do to fix the reported issues at Sunnyside.
In a response to an OSHA complaint about the demolition at 38 Ivy Circle, Koster wrote that the contractor the company hired took extra safety precautions, including wearing respirators and gloves, to prevent their exposure to mold. It also used a mixture of water and Clorox bleach to suppress mold spores.
The NBC 10 Investigators tried to talk to Koster as he arrived at a meeting at the Lower Providence Township offices to discuss resident health and safety concerns.
Two days after the meeting, Sunnyside spokesman Ken Frydman emailed the following comments:
Sunnyside's is on a public water system. The name of the water utility is Pennsylvania American Water. Sunnyside has a certified water operator that routinely inspects the water to make sure it meets PADEP standards.
Sunnyside's water has always been found to be in compliance with PADEP standards and the community has never received a violation notice from PADEP or the Health Department. All home removal is performed by licensed contractors.
Sunnyside management has worked diligently to remove all abandoned homes since it acquired the community. The abandonment process is Pennsylvania takes a minimum of 3-4 months to complete.
There are currently only two abandoned homes left in the community and both of them should be removed within the next 30 days.
We are unaware of any resident complaints to government agencies about the community except from one particular resident regarding the water quality and a water leak that had occurred in the community.
The water was tested by both the community and the Health Department and the water was found to meet all PADEP standards. The water leak has been repaired and management will be replacing all water lines in the community this year.
Many residents have thanked Sunnyside management since it acquired the community in 2013 for investing in the community and taking steps to transform it into a first-class communities (sic) that residents can be proud to call home.
In addition to replacing all water lines and removing abandoned homes, management will be replacing the community's street signs, and is planning additional improvements such as the installation of a playground and constructing an office in the community to have on-site management during all weekday business hours.
The community currently has a 24 hour emergency line in place for residents. Management has only been issued two violation notices by the Township, both of which were solely related to home demolition activities and the concerns have been addressed.
The Township will be coming to inspect the community to confirm that the issues have been resolved and close out the violations. The community has not received any violation notices from the County Health Department or PADEP.
Did you see the Puppy Monkey Baby commercial during Super Bowl 50 Sunday night? You would certainly remember it if you had.
Mountain Dew advertised its new energy drink, Kickstart, with a commercial featuring the new drink’s mascot "Puppy Monkey Baby." Mountain Dew describes Kickstart as “three awesome things combined” on its website, saying it’s made with Dew, juice, and caffeine.
Like Kickstart, "Puppy Monkey Baby" is also a mixture of three individually cute things: a puppy, a monkey, and a baby.
The commercial was greeted with mixed reactions, ranging from amusement to confusion to outright horror, but one local New Jersey Police Department decided to have a little fun with this instant social media sensation.
The Voorhees Police Department took to Twitter with a photo of "one of (their) weirdest arrests to date." The image features the Puppy Monkey Baby cuffed to a bench in a holding cell after being apprehended for shoplifting.
The department's followers thought the gag was hilarious and tweeted back in approval of the playful social media post.
The massive Royal Caribbean cruise ship that left New Jersey over the weekend only to hit a tempestuous wintry storm at sea Sunday will double back and return to port, the cruise line announced.
The massive Anthem of the Seas is turning around and will head back to Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, according to Royal Caribbean. The more than 4,000 passengers aboard will receive a full refund for the cruise along with a voucher for 50 percent off a future voyage.
"#AnthemoftheSeas will turn around & sail back to Cape Liberty. This decision was made for guests' comfort due to weather forecasts," Royal Caribbean tweeted Monday.
The decision comes after the cruise liner sailed into a massive winter storm off the Carolina coast. The 1,183-foot ship was tossed about by massive, storm-swept waves amid blasting wind gusts. The ship sustained damage during the storm, and guests were ordered to take cover while crews attempted to ride out the rough weather.
Video taken on board the ship shows big, blue waves tumbling alongside the vessel, along with overturned plant pots and chairs and other cosmetic damage.
Chris Carver, 43, of Salt Lake City, was on vacation with his family and mother aboard the ship during the storm.
The father of six said the captain told passengers around 11 a.m. the ship would try to "beat" a big storm out at sea. The captain later said in an update the storm got much worse than he had expected.
Conditions deteriorated quickly and the ship was forced to turn around and steer into the wind, Carver said.
"We were watching a musical put on by the crew in the theater and all the sudden they stopped the show. We went back to our rooms and then the cap came on and said, 'Stay in your rooms,'" Carver recalled.
"We listed way right. I was telling the kids we were fine, but I was scared," he explained. "Stuff was falling all over in the room and we had to sit. We were listed so far right that we couldn't stand."
Sixteen-year-old Gabriella Lairson says she and her father, Sam, could feel the ship Anthem of the Seas begin to sway by 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The captain directed passengers to their cabins. There, the Lairsons heard glasses shatter in the bathroom, and they put their belongings in drawers and closets to prevent them from flying across the room. They ventured to the balcony, where Sam Lairson shot video of wave after wave rising below.
"The winds were so strong that I thought the phone would blow from my hands," Sam Lairson, of Ocean City, New Jersey, said in an email. "After that we had to keep the doors to the balconies sealed."
Royal Caribbean released a statement Monday morning saying the ship had "encountered some high winds and seas during its transit" and that "out of an abundance of caution, the Captain asked all guests to stay in their stateroom until the weather improved."
There were no reports of injuries or damage to the ship, according to Royal Caribbean, although some passengers were scared enough to call relatives on land.
The ship took off from New Jersey and was expected to make stops in Port Canaveral, Florida, and the Bahamas, a passenger said.
The ship attempted to continue to Port Canaveral, but the decision was made to turn around in part because the storm would have impacted the cruise's original itinerary.
The Anthem of the Seas is one of three of Royal Caribbean's Quantam class cruise ships and is the third-largest such vessel in the world. It would dwarf the RMS Titanic and is nearly 100 feet longer than the largest aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy.
The same storm that damaged the ship is the same one that slammed the tri-state with coastal flooding and blizzard-like conditions on the eastern end of Long Island.
