What was Robert Chambers connection to Jennifer Levin? Details explored ahead of Murder in the Big Apple on ID

Robert Chambers, dubbed the Preppy Killer, was the s*xual partner of Jennifer Levin, an 18-year-old who was found strangled to death in Central Park in August 1986. He was also the last person she was spotted alive with at Manhattan's popular hotspot, Dorrian's Red Hand bar. Chambers' last known whereabouts and bruises and marks on his face were used to implicate him in the killing.

As per Chambers' claims, Levin persuaded him to go to Central Park afterwards to have s*x. It was there that she died during a rough and aggressive intercourse. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was given 15 years in prison after the jury failed to reach a verdict during his 1988 trial. He has since been released from prison.

ID's Murder in the Big Apple revisits Jennifer Levin's decades-old murder by her s*xual partner, Robert Chambers. The episode titled Heartless Heartthrob recently aired on the channel on June 22, 2023.

The synopsis for the episode read:

"In 1986, a woman on an early morning bike ride in New York's Central Park discovers the strangled body of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin; detectives zone in on former private school student Robert Chambers, but his response to them shocks the whole city."

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Robert Chambers pleaded guilty to manslaughter following the jury's failure to reach a verdict in 1988 after deliberating for nine days

Jennifer Levin and Robert Chambers were spotted leaving Dorrian's in the wee hours of August 26, 1986. Only a few hours later, a bicyclist found the latter's half-naked body in Central Park. Her top and bra were pulled up, and the underwear was thrown at least 50 yards away from her body. The bruises and red marks around her neck suggested that the 18-year-old was strangled to death after being brutally assaulted.

When patrons, who had spotted the pair leaving Dorrians, gave law enforcement this critical piece of information, they showed up at Chambers' doorstep and noticed fresh scratches on his face. Armed with statements from witnesses, authorities confronted him about his whereabouts at the time of the murder. He initially denied being at the bar but eventually admitted to being there.

According to Town & Country, friends of Jennifer Levin and Robert Chambers claimed that the two were seeing each other casually at the time. The latter told authorities that after leaving Dorrian's, Levin persuaded him to go to Central Park to have s*x. The two allegedly found a spot near the Metropolitan Museum where they engaged in consensual rough and aggressive s*x.

Chambers alleged that Levin started to hurt him when he had to push her off, which killed her. He refused to offer any further explanation as to why he left her body there to be found in the morning. Chamber, 19, who already had a criminal history, including petty theft, was charged with second-degree murder.

In 1988, the accused stood trial, and his defense portrayed Levin as a promiscuous woman, discussing her alleged s*x diary and her s*xual history. The 13-day trial ended with the jury failing to reach a verdict after deliberating for nine days.

Following this, Chambers ended up accepting the prosecution's plea deal and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and was released from New York's Auburn Correctional Facility in 2003 upon the completion of his term.

After five years, he was once again sentenced after pleading guilty to drug-related charges for selling cocaine from his apartment. Reports mention his earliest possible release date to be in 2024.

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ID's Murder in the Big Apple further delves into Robert Chambers' controversial trial.