Robert Chambers Jr. aka The Preppie Killer - why was he considered handsome?

Are you kidding? He had a very handsome face but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. His eyes were beautiful and he had a strong jaw. That’s probably why. He’s a sick fuck and he wasn’t a serial killer like the others listed so he didn’t have as many murders under his belt to make the headlines on a continuous basis but when this all happened it was the biggest news story of the year, at least in NY.

R1 it’s considered the biggest media murder and frenzy in History before OJ.

Sorry. Not handsome at all.

Not handsome?

He Def had that sociapath look about him.

R4 nope. His head shape is atrocious. Face shape even worse. Blue eyes don’t make a whole face.

He had thick lusterous hair. The kind of hair you want to run your fingers through.

His face was TOO chubby for him to be considered handsome. Now that blond guy who killed his father in Manhattan. He was REALLY good looking when he went to prison. Though he lost his looks after he spent some time in the slammer.

Ummm, you're crazy, OP. He was super fucking hot and was swooned over all through the coverage.

By UES WASP/preppie standards yes, Robert Chambers, Jr. was an attractive young man.

To OP, yes Mr. Chambers, Jr. is still alive and sends his warmest regards.

If you have a spare moment why not write; am sure he'd be thrilled to receive mail.

I was just talking with a friend—this Is Matt Gaetz!

Thomas Gilbert Jr.- He was the man I was talking about.

Ugliest lantern jaw I’ve seen. He looks like Dave Coulier.

R7

That's Black Irish for you, many of the Kennedy men share same trait of thick lustrous hair.

In some photos he looked attractive. In others, not so much. He wasn't really a "preppie." His mother, who was raising him, was of modest means. But she worked hard to get him into good schools, which is where he came in contact with more privileged youngsters. Girls liked him because of his looks and because he was "troubled" , a bad boy who did drugs and committed petty thefts. That's one reason why Jennifer Levin had the hots for him; he was considered this good looking, rebellious type. Levin was rather "troubled" herself, a "frenetic party girl", as someone said. She was underage and using a fake ID to drink in bars and was quite aggressively sexually, telling Chambers 'you were the best sex I ever had!" She said that to him with other people around; he seemed embarrassed by it, telling her "you shouldn't have said that." At any rate she hooked up with him again, they went to the park and God knows what happened between them, but she ended up getting strangled. He was arrested and while out on bail was filmed partying with some girls and pretending to strangle a doll. He got convicted of killing Levin, did some time, got out of prison, got in trouble again with drugs and went back to the slammer. He seems unable to stay out of jail.

[quote]He seems unable to stay out of jail.

Because jail is where he found God in the form of a black 9" penis.

He will be out in 5 years. I'll be waiting.

Whyitgottabeblack?

[quote]Whyitgottabeblack?

Because once you try black, you never go back.

Great looking kid, he is a washed out crackhead in prison.

Truth to tell cards were stacked against Robert Chambers Jr. from the start.

Son of an Irish nurse attending our very best prep schools on scholarship, one can only imagine how badly RCJ stuck out like a sore thumb. He was simply NQOSD . His criminal proclivities already beginning as a youth followed him into college where use of a stolen CC got him expelled from Boston U, simply were icing on the cake. There are just certain things one can't live down.

Suppose the mother thought she was doing her best by trying to see to it her son had every advantage. But likely Mrs. Chambers under estimated how cruel PLU can be, especially their children towards young HKLP men like RCJ.

R21, what’s with the acronyms? Chambers was not wealthy at all as you point out. He was out of his element- a marginal kid who went sour, got too drunk and acted out his anger which killed a peer. In a way he was the product of a perfect storm and bad luck. Absolutely does not excuse what he did. But he is not a serial killer and as I implied- not an affluent preppy. I too look at him and see a somewhat handsome young guy- but with dead eyes.

Google exists

He lived in my building years ago. He was stunning in person. Excellent bone structure and piercing blue eyes.

R24 is lying. Please. His bone structure is why he ISNT handsome.

Nope, r25, not lying. In fact, I was living there when he was arrested. The building was providing the police with evidence if his drug dealing.

And he was living in the same apartment where the video of him and the doll was taken.

OP Why was he was considered handsome? Because he was, you moron.

OP wants us to say Chambers IS handsome so he can yell at us for being blind sickos.

I saw posters of him for something in midtown NYC last week, is there a new documentary or TV movie out? Was in a hurry and didn’t stop to read.

Oxygen has a new Docuseries on him starting next month.

I agree with OP, not handsome, not hot, not even slightly attractive. Pasty skin, no lips, crazy eyes and a terrible shaped face. Very long, like a horse.

Sorry, but no

Shikshas love the goy men.

I never thought he was handsome. He was dead behind the eyes and had a cold look about him. I could easily believe he was a psychopath.

I think he could be considered attractive, but I personally never saw the appeal. And he's a terrifying person in every other respect.

I'm sure all these ones screaming about how unattractive he is would have fucked him in a hot minute if he'd given them a second glance.

Nope. I don’t find him attractive. So I wouldn’t have.

I think it's what angle he's photographed from. That mug shot makes him look like he has tard face.

He looks totally fucking crazy in r32's pic.

He was striking hot in person. He also had this suave, bad boy demeanor. Women wanted him and guys wanted to be him. He is cold blooded though

Basic research would tell you that:

- he's still alive and in prison

- that he may have been white, and even gone to some notable prep schools, but he certainly was not privileged by any stretch of the imagination. If anything being that poor and going to those schools probably contributed to his anti-social behavior.

- he got out of jail because they were unable to prove the murder. Rather than go through another trial, they came to a plea agreement for manslaughter.

He will be out in 2024

He apparently was teased a lot at his prep schools for his background, like he was a poor relation. Of course that doesn't excuse what he did and I have no sympathy for him, but it surely had an effect on him psychologically to be surrounded by wealthy kids (many of whom came from generational wealth) and being treated like white trash who didn't belong.

[quote]He was striking hot in person.

Yup. Much better looking in person.

Looks like he's turned into a career criminal since his release from prison on the manslaughter conviction. Here's the info on his drug arrest and re-incarceration. Stupid, arrogant moron.

********

Drug charges

Shortly before Thanksgiving 2004, Chambers was stopped in his Saab for driving with a suspended driver's license in Manhattan on Harlem River Drive at 139th Street. A search of the car he was driving found glassine envelopes containing an unknown substance. Chambers was charged on November 29, 2004, with possession of heroin and cocaine, driving with a suspended license, and driving a car without a valid inspection sticker.

Chambers pleaded guilty in July 2005, and on August 29 he was sentenced to a reduced sentence of 90 days in jail and fined $200 for the license violation. The judge added 10 days to the time prosecutors and Chambers' lawyer had agreed on because Chambers was an hour late for the hearing. He had faced up to a year in jail if he had been convicted after trial.[13]

On October 22, 2007, Chambers was arrested again, this time in his own apartment,[14] and charged with three counts of selling a controlled substance in the first degree, three counts of selling a controlled substance in the second degree, and one count of resisting arrest.[15] Kovell was also arrested on one count of selling a controlled substance in the second degree. The New York Daily News reported:

Cops said Chambers, 41, struggled with officers who tried to handcuff him on the felony charges. One detective suffered a broken thumb in the fracas.[16]

Commenting on his new arrest, former Assistant District Attorney Linda Fairstein, who had prosecuted Chambers for Levin's death, said:

Doesn't surprise me. I always believed his problem with drugs and alcohol would get him in trouble again. He's had the opportunity in prison to detox and take college courses, to straighten out his life, but that clearly is of no interest to him. He's learned nothing in the last 20 years.[16]

Chambers and Kovell were charged with running a cocaine operation out of the apartment. The two had previously been given notices for not paying the rent on the apartment, and the phone had been disconnected.[17][18] Chambers appeared in court on December 18; according to the New York Post, his lawyer filed "new papers elaborating on his psychiatric defense".[19] The filing claimed that Chambers had become an addict at the age of 14 and was, by 2007, using 10 to 12 bags of heroin a day. It was also reported that he also used cocaine, was smoking marijuana and taking prescription drugs. Chambers planned to plead insanity. Prosecutors countered that Chambers was a drug dealer and had sold as much as $2,800 in heroin at a time to undercover police. Chambers faced life in prison on the drug charges.[20]

On August 11, 2008, the Manhattan DA's office announced that Chambers had pleaded guilty to selling drugs. On September 2, 2008, he was sentenced to 19 years on the drug charge.[21] As of March 2019 he is at Sullivan Correctional Facility, New York State Department of Corrections DIN (Department Identification Number) # 08A4763. His earliest release date from prison is January 25, 2024; his maximum release date is October 15, 2026.[22]

At one point he and his girlfriend had moved to Dalton, Ga. (birthplace of Marla Maples & Debra Norville). Then they moved back to NYC.

I think his mother caused his rage. His father was ineffectual

Damn, I see why he was dealing dope. The only way he could have gone any lower professionally would have been to start working on a production line in a mill.

[quote] After leaving prison, Chambers settled in Dalton, Georgia, with his girlfriend, Shawn Kovell, who had appeared in the Barbie doll video made before his sentencing. The two lived there for eight to nine months. He found a job at the Pentafab dye factory. Chambers and Kovell moved to an East 57th Street Sutton Place, Manhattan apartment in New York City, when the death of Kovell's mother in the autumn of 2003 left it vacant. Chambers found a job at a limousine company in Queens, and later in a New Jersey sports trophy manufacturer's engraving plant.

He was always overweight. I doubt he was HOT in person like you pathetic LIARS claim.

Yes, r46. He did try to make a go of it when he was released for manslaughter. He wasn't able to get a job in NYC so they moved to GA.

He looks like a more attractive version of Jay Leno.

[quote]Chambers and Kovell moved to an East 57th Street Sutton Place, Manhattan apartment in New York City

Some people are really lucky!

More than you know, r52. It was a large rent controlled apartment.

Anyone go to Pedro where they all hung out? Boy. Was that some hetero mating scene. Is it still around? E83 I think.

No, but I've been to Dorian's Red Hand, r54.

55 postings and none of you bitches put this up? Your slipping!

I find him handsome, and I'm typically not a sucker for blue eyes, or "goyish" looks per se. I find a strong jaw sexy, even if it's a lantern jaw sometimes. I've found many men with long faces sexy over the years... as we have many of them in Britain. I suppose one grows accustomed to them. And that hair....

Perhaps we'll talk more about him when he reaches the status of [italic] Notorious Serial Killer.

His face is too CHUBBY. He has the same type of chubby face that George Peppard had.

This was SO 80s.

It was so 80s. Preppy handbook, UES, NY tabloids, teenager drinking (before bars really cracked down and fake IDs were easy to make), age of Porkys/Risky Business/, kids who grew up with the wild sexual culture of the 70s all around them.

I didn’t know how messy his life turned out. Knew a lot of Irish immigrant children who went to NYC prep schools who did really well. If he hasn’t killed Levin he probably could have sailed into an ok life. But prison at that age messed him up too much to ever be stable.

R56, he looks so angelic and cute in that video. Scary sociopath

R22

Can you hear yourself?

What "bad luck?" Being caught after causing another human being's demise? Again from a young age RCJ's life was steeped in criminal proclivities. Only thing Mrs. Chambers and others are guilty of is giving young RCJ every opportunity to better himself. Even with a rather dodgy past he still made it into Boston U on scholarship.

Only reason "Preppie Killer" receives so much attention is simply because RCJ was a young white male from (supposedly) a decent background. This and media tie into UES, WASP, and NYC society. Meanwhile during same period young black or Latino Hispanic men were out right murdering people, and they are largely rotting away upstate somewhere totally forgotten.

We make our own luck in this life; and RCJ had every advantage is family could provide. His choices were entirely his own; and no being bullied is not an excuse for a life of crime.

He had incredible advantages for a working-class kid and pissed it all away. He could've been very successful in life if he'd worked those advantages and connections.

He got off because he had a good attorney. And it became really famous because they put her on trial. Read all her diaries and crap. Never believed that rough sex bullshit. He was a huge guy and she was so tiny. He was saying she was trying to overpower him. Please. But he got what was coming to him, he has spent most of his life behind bars. He was handsome. But I doubt he is now after all these years behind bars I bet he's pretty used up.

Any recent pics?

I bet they will show some of that new documentary. I'm kind of interested in seeing it.

R48

There wasn't a "ban the box" movement when RCJ was first released on parole. His felony conviction alone meant no one would touch him in terms of employment. Well maybe some fast food places, but he wouldn't be allowed to handle or be near money.

When you factor in the notoriety, that just piled on more woes. Short of changing his name (not possible IIRC for felons in NYS), you know soon as anyone introduced to or perhaps seeing RCJ resume sooner or later connected the dots. Next likely came either revulsion or fear, either way any chance of getting decent employment was squashed.

Had the Chambers family had money they could have set Robert up in some sort of business or otherwise perhaps found some sort of occupation to keep him away from temptation. As with a majority of parolees it is lack of options that often leads them back into life of crime, and subsequently returning to prison.

Many big businesses such as JP Morgan have begun to see light and are hiring convicted criminals. Am not saying a felon with a manslaughter conviction like RCJ would be welcomed with open arms, but at least they may be open to suggestion.

A recent photo.... still a bit of a fatty, and still so pleased with himself.

I heard he aged well in prison

R69 that’s not him.

R54

Don Pedro's decamped for UWS about a year ago.

Arrival of Second Avenue subway has made real estate along that avenue and much of Yorkville very desirable. That in turn has caused rents both commercial and residential to rise.

Developers are eyeing all those old tenements with interest especially along Second where many have quite a lot of unused air rights.

R13 Dead!!! 🤣🤣🤣

I can't unsee it now! Cut it out. Man he was so annoying and unfunny

R72 that’s not a good thing.

His lawyer, Jack Litman, was very effective and almost got him off. LItman was the lawyer for another infamous murderer, Richard Herrin. Herrin, a poor Hispanic boy from L.A., did very well in school and was offered full scholarships to several Ivy League colleges in the seventies. He was a dutiful "model boy", always did what he was told, did nothing but study and work for his unpleasant stepfather. Sheltered and unsocialized, he ended up at Yale, where he was totally out of his element and unprepared to compete in such a demanding, moneyed environment. He graduated but his academic career was dismal. After a pathetic, brief relationship with a girl who didn't give a crap about him, he became involved with Bonnie Garland, a flirtatious redhead from a rich family. It was the first big love experience for them both. Long story short: she outgrew him. He thought their love would go on forever and centered his life around her. Visiting at her parent's house (Bonnie had told him she wanted to "experience life as a single girl for a while" but it was really the big kiss off) he went to her room after getting a claw hammer from the basement and bashed her head in. Litman's defense was that Herrin had snapped, that the murder was an aberration that came about to the enormous emotional upheaval Herrin was dealing with due to his girlfriend dumping him. The prosecution said it was first degree murder, since Herrin admitted that he went to her room with the intent to kill her and end his own life, too. Herrin was convicted of manslaughter. He didn't get a slap on the wrist; he did 17 years in prison, a long time for someone convicted of manslaughter who had no previous criminal record. Litman did well by him. At any rate, it was a very interesting case. I'd advise reading "The Yale Murder" by Peter Meyer, which is a good true crime novel.

I wanna see the Oxygen series on him

OP would it have killed you do to a search before creating this? There are already at least 3 threads on this subject.

OP SHARTS OUT a number of doozies. "NYC gays" did not love Chambers.

R77 it’s kind of dumb to complain about that when we are 78 replies in now.

I remember the TV movie with Billy Baldwin as Chambers and Lara Flynn Boyle as the victim.

Ryan Murphy should to a limited series on Chambers with episodes about his life before the crime, his prison time, then the drug dealing and return to prison.

No. Murphy would make up too much shit.

He's has the type of handsome young face that grows into a weird head as an adult.

The lyrics to one of the songs on Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation" are about this guy.

Anyone in NYC knew him or his friends and family?

R84 you’re opening up a door for more LIES

Explain r85?

Not all PLU are completely bias or bigoted against those not of their class. If RCJ had kept his nose clean, worked hard and rose above the prep school tormenting it is very likely someone would have given him a chance.

American society was never closed minded as say British, this includes New York. People admire someone who keeps nose to grindstone and is willing to make an effort. Obvious groveling and climbing is of course gauche; but those willing to roll up their sleeves and pay their dues can see a bit of a thaw.

That is all it takes, just for a door opening a crack to get foot in, rest is up to the person. Ever since Mrs. Vanderbilt busted Mrs. Astor's "400" NYC society has seen influxes of once formerly NQOCD in a generation or so firmly "in".

Up until death of Ms. Levin RCJ wasn't totally not redeemable; he could have cleaned himself up, turned his life around and made something of himself. But obviously that didn't happen, with poor choices after poor choices racking up like frequent flyer points.

As stated previously, certain things just cannot be lived down. Poor Mrs. Ann Arden Grenville found this out the hard way.

You would be wrong, nowadays. USA has less class mobility than all European countries.

Oh I don't know...

Hottest "in" person for society is Darren Walker, president of Ford Foundation, an out gay African-American. His background is far from blue blood as one can get, but does reflect where NYC society is going.

As with everything else Boomers and their parents (and or grand parents) are dying off, and even in the once closed inbred world of UES rise of Millennial generation is bringing about some changes.

Prince William and Prince Harry aren't the only young wealthy persons about who embrace inclusion and equality on all levels.

Again as we've been discussing why do think much of the young money has decamped for Tribeca, Soho, West Village, Greenwich Village, LES, etc....?

Overall those dinosaurs surviving the crunch know their days are numbered. Many buildings on UES, Sutton or Beekman Place look like naturally occurring retirement areas. Worse cachet of living in such places has greatly diminished in large part due to perception of a closed and intolerant society that inhabits those hallowed limestone walls.

Never saw the appeal.

[quote]Again as we've been discussing why do think much of the young money has decamped for Tribeca, Soho, West Village, Greenwich Village, LES, etc....?

[quote]Overall those dinosaurs surviving the crunch know their days are numbered. Many buildings on UES, Sutton or Beekman Place look like naturally occurring retirement areas. Worse cachet of living in such places has greatly diminished in large part due to perception of a closed and intolerant society that inhabits those hallowed limestone walls.

Yes to all of that, and also because people want new construction buildings with all the modern amenities. Electrical that can handle everything, central air/heat, wifi, a fitness center (of course) and a bunch of other things. The "old guard" buildings, once so prized, have lost their luster because they're not 21st century buildings.

Everything changes....

Not that long ago, wealthy people and celebs were still going to the co-ops on the UES and CPW hoping to get in. Now, they don't even bother. Those buildings aren't even on their radar.

It is also worth remembering that at one time society scorned the Jews. But as WASPs began dying off or whatever openings were created that needed to be filled, at least where it required money. Buildings all over UES, Sutton Place and Beekman Place that once wouldn't let Jews buy are now full of them. In fact had it not been for the Jews many of those places would have been in dire circumstances.

Now it is the Russians/Eastern Europeans who are being welcomed with open arms....

Gay men swoon over him in the joint. He is a hollow vessel , but charming.

Don't mind steam or hot water heating per se; but am not sold in central air if venting interferes with ceiling height. That and concept of forced air heating/cooling that transfers odors (as well as sounds) from other units is a no go far as one is concerned.

R94 you know that personally, twat?

R96, yes, you ugly pig

This guy basically got away with murder and blew his get out of jail free card. His mother should have sent him to regular public school, maybe he would've turned out better and she would've been around more instead of working so much to afford the private schools. One aspect I find insane is that his gf from the time of the murder stayed with him through his jail time and was arrested in the drug bust. What kind of self esteem does she have?

He could have been a movie star

He was drop dead gorgeous at the time of his arrest and trial.

He and JFK, Jr. crossed paths as kids. Their respective nannies arranged several play dates.

The upcoming series is on AMC and Sundance TV.

R100-Stop the bipolar comments about that CHUBBY FACED, FEMININE looking murderer. He's NOT drop dead gorgeous or gorgeousor beautiful or pretty.

Absolutely gorgeous . . .

Many years ago Spy magazine had a separated at birth article. It was Robert Chambers and Elizabeth McGovern. SO TRUE. He does have a VERY FEMININE face.

He was not gorgeous.

He would've looked better if he'd had jaw reduction surgery. I don't know if that was around back then, though.

Maybe his cheeks are too chubby. But, perfect nose, beautiful deep set eyes, and youth make up for a lot. He was very handsome.

What about that rapist for Darien, CT. We should start a tread about him but I forgot his name.

I googled. Alex Kelly.

r29 nailed it. Thread closed.

He is trash

He looked a lot like actor Robby Benson.

He was no Chris Watts.

Chambers is who I think of when I see pics of Robert Pattinson.

Just finished watching the Sundance doc, and, whatever we might think now, in real time, everyone - men and women -then talked about how extremely handsome he was. It seemed to be their first reaction to seeing him.

A lot of DL posters think Chris Watts is good-looking. If the murder happened today, Robert Chambers would be worshiped like a god.

He was 6 years younger than JFK, Jr. Isn't that too much for having play dates together?

He isn’t hot.

Chris Watts isn’t either

TV ALERT - Early Tomorrow (Sunday, the 17th) on Sundance ..

The Preppy Murder: Death In Central Park... Parts 1& 2 1:00-3:00 AM ... Parts 2&3 3:00-5:00AM... Part 5 5:00-6:00AM

At the end of the doc, the prosecutor noted the number of times she would "wake up and just think if I could just grab [the asphyxiated] Jennifer by the n … hand and say don't go into the park with him."

The lead detective, Mike Sheehan, prominently featured in the documentary, died earlier this year.

R102; R100 and 101 are trolls. And, this dude is gross. I remember the eighties, he would have been considered just as ugly then. The media played it up. Ugh, gross.

Loved all the street shots of NYC in the 80s.

Chambers enthralled some big wig Catholics too. They even stood bail for him and let him live on church property while he waited for his trial to start. His Mother was close to the NY Cardinal who was later accused of young boy molestation and forced to resign. Chambers was also an altar boy when he was even younger and prettier. Some speculation about him being abused at that time.

Actress Alex Kapp was interviewed a lot about her relationship with Chambers. She was meeting up with Chambers the night of the murder, they had an argument and he went off with Levin to Central park. She played one of the blond mean moms on the Julia Louis Dreyfus sitcom about the "New Adventures of Old Christine."

When I worked at the Manhattan DA's office, I saw his recorded police interviews after the killing. Total lies - and it was obvious.

He WAS very handsome - extremely so. I don't know what standards you people have, but he was gorgeous - and very much the preppy look. He wasn't from a lot of money though.

That's all I got.

Here's an old thread....skip down to r40.

From R127's link - excerpt:

"I was a passing acquaintance of them both - and by accident was at Dorian's the night it happened

I'm going to speak ill of the dead: JL was an insufferable, mealy-mouthed, boring slut who would do anything to get the attention of guys, any guy - really. And,not very intelligent - for a NYC kid she lacked any sense of awareness or sophistication.

Robert was very creepy - he exuded weirdness and instability and danger. He was from, at best, a middle class family - a mother who sacrificed her own life for her ungrateful, loser son - and he knew how to play her...he never worked, was always out, spent money freely - there was something so off and strange and devious about him - and, in person, dead - nothing there - and not particularly attractive but for that moment

nothing against middle-class. I am, but I know it - he didn't

JL was honestly very unappealing - so uninteresting you didn't bother talking to her unless you wanted to get laid

it doesn't mean she should have been murdered, obviously, but choosing to go to Central Park with this drugged out loser to get fucked - no one was that surprised he did it.

I still remember the phone call and in tandem we said Robert Chambers"

Does anyone know if his mother is still living?

R129 - not sure, but I find it fascinating that someone here on DL was there at Dorian's that night and knew both of them in passing.

That's why I come back here - I have to think it's true based on the post.

Q: What is the last thing Jennifer Levin said?

A: Oye, my bra is killing me.

Terrible. Wasn't the motive that she caught him rifling thro her purse so he strangled her? That Catholic pedophile angle is creepy enough to be true.

Terrible. Wasn't the motive that she caught him rifling thro her purse so he strangled her? That Catholic pedophile angle is creepy enough to be true.

This may shock some but that was the look back then. Including the hair and the body weight. So he WAS considered hot.

Nowadays the Instawhores are required to have dangerously low body fat and be on a liquid diet. You can almost see their stool moving through their intestines.

R126- He was NOT Handsome AT ALL. He just had a BIG FAT PUMPKIN head.

[1uote]Just finished watching the Sundance doc, and, whatever we might think now, in real time, everyone - men and women -then talked about how extremely handsome he was. It seemed to be their first reaction to seeing him.

Because he was better looking in person.

R126, pipe down. I was too young to have an opinion about whether he was handsome or not from a personal perspective, but at the time he was always described as being very handsome. When I look at him now, I don't see it so much, but there is no denying that's how he was viewed. I personally thought Billy Baldwin who played him in the TV movie was better looking.

He was pretty handsome FOR A CRIMINAL.

In his day he was hot as shit. I'd have loved to have had rough sex with him.

I was about 9 years old when this and the Kennedy rapist story were a big deal. I almost want to say they happened at the same time. They always reminded me of one another and ruined that combination of light eyes, dark hair that everyone seems to find so magical.

While this all happened around the time I was born, these are my people and not a whole lot has changed.

Levin was a type-- Suburban princess whose divorced parents move into Manhattan for her last few years of high school. Winds up someplace like Columbia Prep or York (or at least that was where they wound up 20 years ago when I was that age). Didn't have any long term friendships and so was trying to break in by going a little crazy and being more than kind of slutty. Because people go to a range of private schools and schools like Stuy and Hunter, it's tougher as you don't see the same people all the time and the parents aren't connected. I always felt bad for kids like that--the smarter ones join debate, the jocks join the football team and they find friends, but girls like Levin just kind of rely on trying too hard.

Chambers was unique. We had a lot of scholarship kids but they were almost all minority kids on Prep for Prep or similar. From what I've read his mom seemed like a real head case and there was all sorts of weirdness with higher ups in the Catholic Church. He was more like the public school kid who dealt drugs who'd sell you your first joint in 8th grade and you'd think you were really cool for knowing him because he might actually have been a criminal (or he talked a good game about it) and you knew he thought you were some pampered nerd, and there were some kids who were insecure and bothered by that and so he'd use them and even steal things from their houses and all.

And yeah, Chambers was a good looking kid but not in a Disney heartthrob kind of way. Seems like someone whose charisma made him better looking in person.

With all the renewed interest in this case, there has been an attempt to shore up the personality and reputation of Jennifer Levin. Apparently the only positive things that could be said about her are these: she was "vivacious" and "fashionable."

Interesting....

I thought the caption would go with the above photo - apparently JFK jr and Chambers had a play date as children

I find it utterly fascinating that all of a sudden someone decided to start a thread about the Preppy Killer just before a brand new documentary that re-examines the murder premiered.

For years, nothing. Then, just before a new "five-part series also grapples with victim-blaming and the legacy of Central Park Five prosecutor Linda Fairstein" is set to air, someone suddenly becomes interested and starts a thread.

What a coincidence.

They all must have been blind. He is ugly as sin.

This is the key paragraph from R145 's article

[quote] Chambers’ mother — an Irish immigrant and private nurse to wealthy Manhattan families including the Hammersteins and Kennedys — spearheaded an influence campaign, pressing Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Chambers’ godfather and at the time the Archbishop of Newark, to come forward as a character reference for her son. McCarrick wrote a letter to the judge on Chambers' behalf, cloaking him in the moral rectitude of [bold] the then-influential Catholic Church [/bold] and surely helping to secure bail for Chambers in the long run-up to his trial in 1988. McCarrick was defrocked in 2018 amid numerous claims of sexual abuse. The film suggests that McCarrick may have been motivated to intervene because he had also abused Chambers.

Looking at r143 and yes, he was ugly. That is not handsome.

Has anybody ever heard the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" Some obviously find Chambers very attractive. Some do not. I myself do not, but I can see how others might think differently. His appeal is lost on some people.

Beauty may indeed be in the eye of the beholder, but it’s important also to have the ability to look beyond an outdated hairstyle or to appreciate that one can look much better in person.

Chambers' hairstyle was fashionable at the time. Now we might consider it dorky-looking, but that was what was popular then.

His hair is whatever. That face shape and jaw are hideous.

[quote] Then, just before a new "five-part series also grapples with victim-blaming and the legacy of Central Park Five prosecutor Linda Fairstein" is set to air, someone suddenly becomes interested and starts a thread. What a coincidence.

Maybe the new documentary brought Chambers to the OP's mind. Why you are acting like there is something suspicious or bizarre about that, god knows.

He had opportunities that many people could only dream of, and he squandered it all. What a shame. If Chambers had been able to not fuck things up, he could've had a very nice (and lucrative) life with all the advantages he'd been given.

He was a Kennedy, that was enough for most people to be beguiled.

This thread was started almost a month ago now

Jennifer Levin kind of puts me in mind of another wild New York girl who came to a bad end because of lust for an unsavory guy, Alison Gertz. The daughter of wealthy parents, she lived in a Park Avenue apartment and liked to party and drink and look sexy. Although not promiscuous, she could do whatever she wanted when it came to men; her rich, busy parents apparently gave her free rein. In her case the object of her affection was a bartender (she apparently didn't know he was a bi-sexual who couldn't keep his dick in his pants) at one of the clubs she frequently; his name was, supposedly "Cort Brown." Anyway, while her parents were away their "sophisticated" 16 year old daughter invited the 26 year old Cort to the apartment. He showed up with champagne, roses...and AIDS. They had sex only once; for her, the sexual experience with the forbidden fruit (an older, working class man) was not a favorable one. In her early twenties she developed AIDS and became a vocal spokesperson about the need to protect yourself in sexual situations. She died at age 26. Both Levin and Gertz had this in common; both New York girls who had freedom to do what they wanted (like drinking and partying), both girls who lost their lives due to an unfortunate attraction to a sleazy man. Lesson to be learned: be careful who you hook up with. a sleazy guy.

For those who don’t find him attractive, I give you Michael Schoeffling from the same period who could be his doppelgänger and is largely admired as one of the most handsome men of his generation.

[quote]He had opportunities that many people could only dream of, and he squandered it all. What a shame. If Chambers had been able to not fuck things up, he could've had a very nice (and lucrative) life with all the advantages he'd been given.

You mean like the multiple threads that breathlessly came racing to DL to let the gays know that it's okay to eat at Chick Fil A, as well as stop protesting against them, now that they've stopped donating to hate groups - neglecting to mention that it's a privately held family company and the CEO and his family directly benefit financially?

r159 WTF does that have to do with this particular topic?

I thought he was very eye-catching in a assholish sort of way. Maybe compared to other killers of the period, he was the handsomest.

He looks like Little Faced Mitt Romney.

He looks NOTHING like Michael Schoeffling. Wtf.

[quote]You mean like the multiple threads that breathlessly came racing to DL to let the gays know that it's okay to eat at Chick Fil A, as well as stop protesting against them, now that they've stopped donating to hate groups - neglecting to mention that it's a privately held family company and the CEO and his family directly benefit financially?

[quote][R159] WTF does that have to do with this particular topic?

It was a response to r153's comment that got cut out of the quoted section: "Why you are acting like there is something suspicious or bizarre about that, god knows."

DL Queens are DESPERATE to call that CHUBBY faced Preppy Killer handsome. In R143's photo his small mouth is lost in the CHUBBINESS of his face.

R158, must be smoking some good shit or is being sarcastic trying to prove a point. Either way, RC looks nothing like MS aside from the black hair.

Chamber's head looks like that children's breakfast cereal creature FRANKENBERRY.

It’s was an 80s look. WASPy and clean cut private school looking. Definition of hot changes. Went from John Travolta in SNF to Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Now it’s Drake.

Size meat verificatia? Cell block fellatiocatia?

r168 is correct. The preppy look was super-hot in the 80s. It was extremely popular and aspirational.

Today of course it's ghetto trash and Instagram whores, but back then things were more classy.

He has Rumor Willis syndrome. A small face in a huge noggin that includes a large jaw. It might actually be some sort of genetic disorder.

It was a different time. I never gave his looks a second thought because he was pretty generic-looking back then. I do remember thinking that when he went back to prison for the second time, I found him better looking than before. He had some mileage on his face--which I normally think is hot. But in his case, those miles were covered in meth.

He was tall, and that counts for a lot.

In 1986, we didn't have the constant bombardment by gorgeous male faces we experience every day today, what with Instagram and other social media. I thought he was handsome then—I mean, he wasn't a [italic]bad[/italic]-looking guy—but there was very little to compare him to. To see anything like a critical mass of cuteness, we had to wait for our monthly GQ, Playgirl, or exercise magazines to come out. We can see as much hotness in an hour in 2019 as we could in a month in 1986.

R174 You sound like a very slow porn watcher.

[quote]Seems like someone whose charisma made him better looking in person.

Nope. He was stunning in person.

It just boggles the mind why so many posters have trouble reconciling their minds to the reality that eyewitness testimony at the time was that this guy in person was beautiful. And that clearly informed that world view of himself. It really smacks of condescension to reach back some 30 years to tell the people then that their eyes deceived them.

The One Where Unattractive DLers Claim A Very Good Looking Guy Is Unattractive (SEE ALSO: Numerous Insta-Ho threads) And Wax Poetically About Their Fantasy Of Life On The Upper East Side.

He's got carb face. But not as bad as Vindman.

Yourmillennialfriend sounds bitter.

More Kennedy trash. At least this one was punished.

Why are DLers so fucking stupid. Like said MORE THAN ONCE on this thread, no one is saying he isn’t handsome because of his haircut or style... it’s because of his terrible shaped head and face.

He sort of looks like if Jay Leno and David Muir had a baby.

The actress who played one of the bitchy moms in New Adventures of Old Christine with Julia Louis-Dreyfus was his girlfriend and allegedly broke up with him the night he killed Levin

R182 needs to cradle a cup of hot cocoa to sooth her anger...

Who are the posters whining here that he wasn't goodlooking (??)

If only she would have listened to the lyrics....

Any news on whether or not he got his ass cherry popped in the lockup?

Seems inevitable...

He was tall, black haired, blue eyed, a strapping young man. Of course he would be found attractive by many people. All the debate over his looks reminds me of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. She was considered to be a stunning beauty, but I thought she wasn't. She was tall, thin and had a mane of long (bleached) blonde hair; I suppose that in itself constitutes great beauty for many. But her face was...nothing. Nothing really pretty or beautiful about it at all. It's kind of like that with Chambers. His tallness and coloring makes him appear handsome. But some people are put off by the shape of his head and jaw.

[quote] It was a response to [R153]'s comment that got cut out of the quoted section: "Why you are acting like there is something suspicious or bizarre about that, god knows."

It wasn't cut out; you quoted the wrong post, r159. Still have no fucking idea what you think this thread has to do with the CFA threads. Are you seriously trying to suggest OP is shilling for the documentary, like the 3 additional viewers who might watch it because of this thread are the worth the time it took to post the thread?

R189, I tended to agree with you about Carolyn Bessette, but, as with all other figures of some public renown, including Robert Chambers, I always recognize the critical caveat that they may look better in person. And when personal observations are at variance from my non-personal opinions, I'm at least aware enough to not invalidate those contrary opinions.

Chambers jawline was what ruined his face. He has an awful jawline, and weird eyes.

He face was TOO PLUMP, therefore there was NO handsomeness there.

HIS face. NOT he.

[quote] He face was TOO PLUMP, therefore there was NO handsomeness there.

In your opinion—which is what's so dumb about this conversation. Looks are subjective; clearly some people find/found Chambers very handsome, while others have never found him attractive at all. Neither view is right or wrong.

I'm waiting on contemporaneous, eyewitness reporting from circa 1986 that he was viewed as other than very handsome. Have yet to see such evidence.

Who cares what he was considered in 1986? It’s 2019 and he’s Ugly.

Who cares if Lincoln freed the slaves? The racist views he held would make him a reviled figure in 2019. Jennifer Levin might still be alive today if she didn't think - along with everyone then who saw him person - that Chambers was devastatingly handsome.

Are we comparing freeing slaves to someones ugly face? It is UGLY.

Oh for Christ's sweet sake, he is NOT "ugly." I gather some of you don't find him attractive. But it's obvious he's NOT ugly. Whatever else he is, he isn't that.

As noted previously, Levin apparently embarrassed Chambers at one point by loudly proclaiming in front of friends of theirs that Chambers was"the best sex she had ever had!" His good looks would have certainly taken second place if that was her main objective in going to Central Park with him.

[quote] His good looks would have certainly taken second place if that was her main objective in going to Central Park with him.

She was 18 years old and probably drunk every time she slept with him. His looks may have been the reason she thought the sex was so great.

He had a HIDEOUS jawline.

Just came to this thread, OP, so haven't read all the posts but I agree with you. I don't get why he's considered handsome. He looks soft and girly. He might be considered 'pretty.'

Oh, allyou young dudes.

Robert Chambers back in the day (and still, to some extent) looks like a mashup of Matt Bomer + James Spader in Pretty in Pink. With a jaw/faceline that ranged from superhero/quarterback to putty face, depending on angle. In some photos looks like a young Ray Liotta before he went putty face, too.