"Liked Her Very Much": What "Preppy Killer" Said About His Murder Victim

A former cellmate of Robert Chambers has revealed the "Preppy Killer's" private confessions about the murder of Jennifer Levin.

Chambers spent 15 years incarcerated for the crime.

John J. Lennon, a prison journalist who shared time with Chambers, documented their conversations about the infamous 1980s Central Park murder in his book, "The Tragedy of True Crime."

According to Lennon, Chambers struggled to articulate what happened the night Levin died, appearing unable to fully explain his actions even decades after the incident.

Lennon wrote that the 19-year-old Chambers initially denied involvement in Levin's death, claiming to police that facial scratches came from a cat, as reported by the New York Post. He later amended his statement, attributing the marks to intimate contact with Jennifer.

"I liked her very much. She was a very nice person. Easy to get along with. Easy to talk to. She was just too pushy," Chambers told investigators during questioning.

In conversations with Lennon, Chambers admitted panicking when Levin became unresponsive. "Come on, let's go," he recalled saying. "Then she didn't move. And I looked at her, and her eyes were open. And then I freaked out, backing up, all the way to the rock wall by the path."

When Lennon challenged Chambers years later about why he couldn't simply "own it," Chambers fell silent. According to Lennon, one moment Chambers was walking and talking with Levin in the park, and the next, he had strangled her.

After pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter, Chambers served a 15-year sentence. Lennon describes him as "an untreated addict" upon his 2003 release. Shortly thereafter, Chambers was apprehended in a drug operation and sentenced to an additional 19 years.

During their time together, Chambers confided in Lennon that mentally he still felt 19 despite being 36. He also expressed struggling with guilt, admitting envy of Lennon's ability to express remorse to his own victim's family.

"I guess I feel like, how could I not have figured out how to do that? I think it was always something I felt like I needed to earn," Chambers confessed to Lennon.

Chambers was released from New York's Shawangunk Correctional Facility on July 25, 2023, after serving 15 years of his 19-year sentence. He remains under post-release supervision until July 2028, according to CNN.