A glimpse into the life and shocking murder of the Yale graduate who spent his life trying to exonerate his father

Chiwetel Ejiofor brought Rob Peace’s story to life in a 2024 film starring Jay Will, Mary J. Blige and Camila Cabello

Rob Peace was murdered in 2011, but his tragic death and transgressive life continue to be explored in Chiwetel Ejiofor’s 2024 biography. Rob Peace.

Related to The New York Times Bestselling book by Jeff Hobbs, The short and tragic life of Robert Peace, The film follows a brilliant young man, played by Jay Will, who struggles to balance his promising academic future with the responsibility he feels to free his imprisoned father Robert “Skeet” Douglas (Ejiofor). Mary J. Blige also plays Rob’s mother Jackie Peace and Camila Cabello plays his girlfriend Naya Vazquez in the biographical drama.

Rob Peace opened in theaters in August 2024 and was added to Netflix on November 11th, where it quickly rose into the platform’s top 10 films. Ejiofor, who directed and wrote the film, narrated ForbesIn August, he said he wanted to “move beyond the judgment” that often clouded Rob’s story and “understand the systemic challenges” he faced.

To achieve this, the actor worked closely with the real Jackie.

“She is a wonderful, open-minded and sociable spirit, and it was a real pleasure to talk to her about her son’s story,” Ejiofor said. “Rob was someone who felt his family responsibility, his love for community, family and friends. Under any other given circumstances, he would thrive in the world.”

So who was the real Rob Peace? Here you can find out everything about the true story of Rob Peace.

Who was Rob Peace?

Accordingly TodayRobert DeShaun Peace (aka Rob Peace) was born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1980 to parents Jackie and Skeet. They were separated and Rob lived with his mother. Hobbs, Rob’s college roommate and later biographer, told NPR in 2014 that Jackie learned at a young age that her son was intellectually gifted.

“When he was about 3 (years old) at daycare, the lady there told Jackie that they called him ‘the professor,'” Hobbs said. “And she thought they were making fun of her, or worse, making fun of her son, before she realized they were calling him so serious in reference to his intelligence and curiosity.”

While Jackie worked multiple jobs to support Rob, Skeet was also actively involved in his son’s life, particularly in his academic pursuits. Hobbs told NPR that Skeet taught his son the importance of good penmanship and memory – even while incarcerated.

Why did Rob Peace’s father go to prison?

According to NJ.com, Skeet was convicted of murder in the 1987 shootings of Charlene Moore and Estella Moore. He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

Rob, who was seven at the time of his father’s arrest, visited Skeet in prison every weekend until he turned 18. Skeet also called home regularly to check on his son’s academic performance.

“(Skeet) called home every day and made sure he did his homework,” Dante Peace, Rob’s uncle, told NJ.com in July 2024. “So I think he also had some level of higher intelligence that fed (Rob).”

Throughout his life, Skeet maintained his innocence and asked his son for help in exonerating him. Rob worked for years to overturn his father’s conviction on the grounds that there was no speedy trial, and at one point he succeeded in getting his father temporarily released. But an appeal landed Skeet back in prison.

Did Rob Peace graduate from Yale?

After graduating from St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, Rob’s future looked so bright and promising that a bank teller he met at a banquet gave him a blank check to cover all of his college expenses.

He then attended Yale University, where he studied molecular biophysics and biochemistry. To fund his father’s exoneration efforts and legal representation, Rob also began selling marijuana out of his dorm room, reportedly saving up to $100,000.

Rob graduated from Yale in 2002 and returned home to teach biology at St. Benedict’s until 2007. He also worked in baggage handling at Newark International Airport. Jackie told NJ.com that her son – who she called Shaun – was “beyond his time” and was told he was overqualified for many jobs.

“It actually shows that it doesn’t matter where you come from, what color you are or whatever, you can still achieve certain things,” Jackie told the local outlet. “If you have something in mind, you should be able to try it. And that’s exactly what Shaun tried to do.”

What happened to Rob Peace’s father Skeet?

While incarcerated, Skeet was diagnosed with brain cancer. He died in prison in 2006.

Hobbs, who lived with Rob throughout their time at Yale, told NJ.com that he didn’t know much about his roommate’s life outside of school and said he “didn’t volunteer” many details about his father.

“Rob managed to make you feel pretty uncomfortable when you asked about something he didn’t want to talk about,” Hobbs said. “I’m not sure he would have been thrilled if a book had been written about him. In fact, I think he would have been pretty mad at me.”

Hobbs added: “But I also think that he was a teacher and he cared about his friends, his community and his friends’ children, and if he saw it that way, perhaps his story inspired a lot of young people to tell their own stories.” .”, I think he would be pretty happy about that.”

What happened to Rob Peace?

Sometime in his twenties, Rob began selling marijuana again. In May 2011, he was shot to death in a grow house in Newark, New Jersey. Police found cash and marijuana at the scene, but the shooter was never identified. Rob was 30 years old.

Hobbs told NPR that over 400 people attended his college roommate’s funeral.

“(The funeral) (was) very painful but also beautiful – people from all over the world in downtown Newark,” the author said. “But outside of that church, it seemed like a lot of people were almost zealous in condemning him, because that stereotype of wasting potential… We just knew that Rob Peace wasn’t a stereotype.”

How accurate is the film? Rob Peace?

Ejiofor told Today that are “the cornerstones” of his film Rob Peace reflect Rob’s true story, but added that the film contains some details that were not in the book.

“There are inevitably things where no one was present that you have to somehow create, certain moments where you do your best,” he said 12 years slave said the actor. “I think that’s part of the process with any adaptation or any story that’s really based on true events.”

According to NJ.com, the film uses some of Rob’s own writing to write statements for graduate school applications. Jackie saw the film when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and said that Will did an “excellent job” portraying her son – and that Blige portrayed her well, too.

“We would see that it was me, especially if she had that attitude,” Jackie told NJ.com. “When she spoke with that attitude, I said, ‘Damn, she got me right there.’ ”