The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of substance use and mental illness.



Rob stayed back at Yale as custodial staff over the summer. Helping clear the student accommodation, he also emptied trash and cleaned up at the alumni reunions. Rob then returned to working at Yale Medical School, assisting in cancer research. Although not romantically involved with Raquel, he lived with her in a basement apartment in New Haven.

On weekends, Rob visited Newark, seeing his mother, Flowy, Tavarus, and Drew, who had also dropped out of college. Rob gave Jackie a few hundred dollars each time he visited. However, she was unhappy that Rob had no clear plans for his future. Jackie was also concerned that Rob might become a target for the increasing number of violent gangs involved in drug dealing, such as the Double II Set. Rob bought his marijuana supplies from his father’s friend Carl. Drew suggested that Carl was unreliable, but Rob insisted he was “family.”

Hobbs, like many of his Yale classmates, moved to New York City after graduating. With the help of his brother’s connections, he secured a grant proposal writing job. In August 2002, he met up with Rob at Yale.