Who was Robert Peace? The true story of a Yale graduate who fought to free his father

NEW YORK - Robert Peace was a Yale graduate who was shot and killed inside a Newark, New Jersey basement. However, there's more to his story.

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

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

Released in theaters in August 2024 and added to Netflix on November 11, the film has already climbed into the platform’s Top 10 movies within a week.

Here's his story. 

Rob Peace's life: A Child with a 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 separated, and Rob lived with his mother. 

"I remember the day Shaun came home from the hospital," his uncle Dante Peace told FOX 5 NY. "He was a little bundle. My sister was very happy."  

From an early age, Rob showed precocious intelligence. 

"At two or three years old, he was inquisitive about things far ahead of his time," Dante said. 

Rob’s father, Skeet, played a significant role in his young life until being arrested for a double homicide when Rob was 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. At 7 years old, Rob visited him every weekend until he turned 18, while Skeet frequently called home to check on his son’s academic progress.

"[Skeet] would call every day to make sure Rob did 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 over his father," said childhood friend Jason Delpeche. Despite the challenges, Rob’s brilliance was evident. "He made being a geek cool," Delpeche said, recalling Rob’s confidence and broad smile.  

Rob Peace at St. Benedict’s Prep

In 1994, Rob began high school at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, a school known for helping young men from single-parent homes. "A lot of these boys come from homes where fathers are incarcerated," Father Edwin Leahy, the headmaster in 2016 told FOX 5 NY. 

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 uncommon sport for Black students. "He loved it and was good at it," Father Leahy said. 

Yet, Rob struggled privately, turning to marijuana to cope with internal battles.  

Water polo coach Glenn Cassidy recounted a rare emotional outburst when discussing Rob’s father: "He blew up and said, 'I haven’t had a father in my life 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," said Hobbs. At Yale, Rob continued excelling but also began selling marijuana.  

He held secrets, struggled to belong, and sold drugs to keep up socially. Despite these struggles, Rob maintained a diverse group of friends and became a member of Yale’s prestigious secret society Elihu.  

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 troubling 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, working as a teacher, coach, and even in real estate. However, financial struggles and unresolved trauma persisted. 

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

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 fielded a lot of tough questions about why he wrote the book.

"'How can you stand there and tell me there's 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 where you have an epic figure with this education whose life is cut short.

"Anytime somebody that age loses their life, it's tragic, but I guess what I'm saying is... I don't think Rob's tragedy is any greater than the tragedy of the unknown person who gets killed on 11th Street," Father Leahy said. "That's tragic as well."

"The point was to experience him, his friendship, and maybe hopefully be impacted," Hobbs said. "Everybody's life matters. Rob didn't need a book written about his life for his life to matter."