Who was Robert Vrede? Yale Grad Murdered in NJ Basement

NEW YORK – Robert Peace was a Yale graduate who was shot dead in a basement in Newark, New Jersey. However, there is more to his story.

In April 2016 FOX 5NY chronicled the remarkable yet heartbreaking story of Robert Peace, a man whose journey was marked by both extraordinary achievements and profound struggles.

Chiwetel Ejiofor brought Peace’s story to life in the 2024 film *Rob Peace*, starring Jay Will, Mary J. Blige and Camila Cabello. Based on Jeff Hobbs’ bestseller, ‘The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace,’ the film follows a brilliant young man who must navigate the tension between his academic future and his efforts to free his imprisoned father.

The film, which arrived in theaters in August 2024 and was added to Netflix on November 11, has already climbed into the platform’s Top 10 films within a week.

Here is his story.

The life of Rob Peace: a child with promise

Robert DeShaun Peace, who went by Rob Peace, was born on June 25, 1980, in East Orange, New Jersey, to Jackie and Skeet.

His parents were divorced and Rob lived with his mother.

“I remember the day Shaun came home from the hospital,” said his uncle Dante Peace FOX 5NY. “He was a little bundle of joy. My sister was very happy.”

From an early age, Rob showed precocious intelligence.

“When he was two or three years old, he was curious about things that were ahead of his time,” Dante said.

Rob’s father, Skeet, played an important role in his young life until he was arrested for a double murder at the age of seven. The absence left a lasting void.

Skeet was convicted of murder in the 1987 deaths of Charlene and Estella Moore and sentenced to life in prison. When he was seven, Rob visited him every weekend until he turned 18, while Skeet called home regularly to check on his son’s academic progress.

“(Skeet) called every day to make sure Rob had done his homework,” Rob’s uncle, Dante Peace, told NJ.com in July 2024. “He had a level of intelligence that influenced Rob.”

“I had no idea how much pain he was in about his father,” said childhood friend Jason Delpeche. Despite the challenges, Rob’s brilliance was evident. “He made it cool to be a nerd,” Delpeche said, recalling Rob’s confidence and wide smile.

Rob Peace at St. Benedict’s Prep

In 1994, Rob attended high school at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, a school known for helping young men from single-parent homes. “Many of these boys come from homes where fathers are imprisoned,” Father Edwin Leahy, the director, said in 2016 FOX 5NY.

At St. Benedict’s, Rob excelled in academics, athletics and leadership, even becoming a senior group leader. He also did well in water polo, an unusual sport for black students. “He loved it and was good at it,” Father Leahy said.

Still, Rob struggled privately and turned to marijuana to cope with internal conflict.

Water polo coach Glenn Cassidy recounted a rare emotional outburst when talking about Rob’s father: “He blew up and said, ‘I haven’t had a father all these years. Why do I need one now?'”

Rob Peace at Yale: Promise and Pressure

With a full scholarship from St. Benedict’s alumnus Charles Cawley, Rob entered Yale University in 1998 as a molecular biophysics and biochemistry major. “Only about 20 people a year majored in it,” Hobbs said. At Yale, Rob continued to excel, but he also started selling marijuana.

He kept secrets, struggled to fit in and sold drugs to keep up socially. Despite these problems, Rob had a diverse group of friends and became a member of Yale’s prestigious Elihu secret society.

Ernie Gonzalez, who met Rob at Yale, now a psychiatrist, believes all the networking and socializing kept Rob from dealing with the things that were bothering him.

“I think Rob felt like he had to live up to a certain standard and he had to be the strong guy. He had to be the popular guy,” Gonzalez said.

Rob Peace murder

After graduating in 2002, Rob returned to Newark where he worked as a teacher, coach and even in real estate. However, the financial problems and unresolved traumas continued.

In May 2011, Rob was murdered in the basement of a grow house in what police described as a drug deal gone bad.

Police found cash and marijuana at the scene, but the shooter was never identified.

Rob was 30 years old at the time.

A legacy that resonates

After Rob’s death, Hobbs raised a lot of tough questions about why he wrote the book.

“How can you stand there and tell me that there is a positive message in the story of a man who had so many gifts and was given so many gifts and died because of some bad decisions?” Hobbs said people would say to him.

Father Leahy describes it as a tragedy in the classical sense of the word, where with this training you have an epic figure whose life is cut short.

“Any time someone that age loses their life, it’s tragic, but I guess what I’m saying is… I don’t think Rob’s tragedy is greater than the tragedy of the unknown person being murdered on 11th Street ” says father. Leahy said. “That’s tragic too.”

“It was about experiencing him and his friendship and hopefully being influenced,” Hobbs said. ‘Everyone’s lives matter. Rob didn’t need a book about his life to make his life matter.”