Julius “Jules” Reich is a former New York attorney and certified public accountant who stabbed his wife, Dr. Robin Goldman, to death inside their Scarsdale home on January 20, 2016. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in May 2018 and was sentenced that August to 20 years in state prison. The killing was the first homicide in Scarsdale in nearly four decades.
What Happened Inside the Scarsdale Home
On the morning of January 20, 2016, Reich walked into an upstairs bathroom at the couple’s home on Lincoln Road while Dr. Goldman was showering. He stabbed her 22 times with an eight-inch kitchen knife, striking her chest, abdomen, back, and hands.1CBS News. Julius Reich Docs: New York Man Joked With Cops After Estranged Wife’s Murder She died at the scene. Prosecutors later called the attack an “ambush.” The coroner documented multiple defensive wounds on her hands.
Reich then walked downstairs, leaving a trail of blood. Officers who processed the scene found the knife, still bloody, hidden inside a folded newspaper.1CBS News. Julius Reich Docs: New York Man Joked With Cops After Estranged Wife’s Murder He smoked a cigarette before calling 911 to report that his wife had been “seriously injured.”2NBC New York. Scarsdale Westchester Homicide NY Charges Scarsdale police arrived within three minutes.3New York Times. Husband of Doctor Fatally Stabbed in Scarsdale Is Charged With Murder
Court documents described Reich as “gracious” with responding officers. He greeted them, invited them inside, and directed them upstairs to his wife’s body.4lohud.com. Jules Reich Indicted for Murder He told them, “It was probably a homicide,” asked to take his prescription anxiety medication, and inquired whether he could attend his wife’s funeral. At police headquarters he attempted small talk, asking one officer what he thought of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.1CBS News. Julius Reich Docs: New York Man Joked With Cops After Estranged Wife’s Murder He was arrested at the scene.
The couple had been in the process of divorcing but still shared the Scarsdale home. Reich had been splitting time between the house and a Manhattan apartment.5Westchester County District Attorney. Julius Reich Sentenced for the Stabbing Death of His Wife
Who Dr. Robin Goldman Was
Robin Goldman was 58. A pediatrician, she had joined Albert Einstein College of Medicine as a resident in 1982 and its faculty in 1986, and from 1998 until her death she practiced at Montefiore Health System’s Comprehensive Family Care Center. She had directly mentored more than 70 pediatric residents.6Montefiore Einstein. The Dr. Robin Goldman Memorial Lectureship Fund Family and colleagues said she “loved being a doctor” and would tend to children even when off duty.7JTA. Slain Scarsdale Physician Recalled as a Beautiful Spirit
Goldman was active at Young Israel of Scarsdale and served in parent leadership roles at the SAR School in Riverdale and the Ramaz School in Manhattan.7JTA. Slain Scarsdale Physician Recalled as a Beautiful Spirit Her three adult children, Alyssa, Adam, and Jenna, said the pillars of her life were family, faith, and community.
Reich’s Legal and Professional Background
Reich held a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Brooklyn College, a law degree from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, and an LL.M. in taxation from NYU. He was a licensed attorney and a CPA with more than 20 years in corporate consulting, including work at PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining WeiserMazars as a partner in 2014. His practice covered mergers and acquisitions, tax planning, due diligence, and valuation for startups and private-equity clients.8Scarsdale10583. Julius Reich Charged With Murder in the Second Degree The couple had bought their Scarsdale house in 1997 for $996,000; by 2016 it was valued at roughly $2.7 million.
The Charges and the Defense Theory
A Westchester County grand jury indictment unsealed on March 8, 2016 charged Reich with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.9CBS News. Scarsdale Murder Suspect in Court He pleaded not guilty.
His attorneys, Mayo Bartlett and John Mitchell, initially considered an “extreme emotional disturbance” defense but withdrew it because it would have required Reich to admit killing his wife.10lohud.com. Reich Pursuing New Psychiatric Defense in Scarsdale Slaying They pivoted to an “automatism” theory, arguing that a mix of alcohol and the anti-anxiety drug clonazepam, combined with bipolar disorder, degenerative brain disease, dementia, and amnesia, had rendered Reich incapable of voluntary action. In a handwritten letter to trial judge Barry Warhit, Reich acknowledged taking “a heavy dose of medication” that morning.11CBS News. Julius Reich Sentencing The defense was never tested at trial.
The Guilty Plea and 20-Year Sentence
On May 22, 2018, Reich pleaded guilty in Westchester County Court to first-degree manslaughter, a class B violent felony.12Westchester County District Attorney. Julius Reich Pleads Guilty to the Stabbing Death of His Wife The reduced charge was shaped in significant part by the wishes of Goldman’s three adult children, who wanted to avoid a public trial.13lohud.com. Julius Reich Scarsdale Guilty Killing Wife Dr. Robin Goldman
Judge Warhit sentenced Reich to 20 years in state prison on August 15, 2018. Reich read a prepared statement expressing what he called “profound remorse,” telling the court, “The damage that was caused is unfathomable. I shall bear the guilt forever. My only hope is that someday my children find it in their hearts to communicate with me.”14ABC7 New York. Man Who Stabbed Wife in Shower Gets 20 Years in Prison
Goldman’s children did not attend. Through the district attorney’s office, they said they were “relieved their father finally accepted responsibility for his actions” and were “in complete agreement with the terms of the plea.”15NBC New York. Scarsdale Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Stabbing Wife to Death
Disbarment
Under New York’s Judiciary Law, a felony conviction automatically disbars a licensed attorney. Reich’s disbarment was legally effective the day he pleaded guilty, May 22, 2018, but he never reported the conviction to the Appellate Division or the Attorney Grievance Committee as required.16New York State Courts. Matter of Reich, Appellate Division First Department On May 12, 2022, the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, formally struck his name from the roll of attorneys, retroactive to the 2018 conviction date. The court noted his failure to self-report could bear on any future application for reinstatement.17New York Post. Killer Julius Reich and Ex-CIA Officer Jeffrey A. Sterling Disbarred in NY
The Wrongful Death Lawsuit
In 2019, Adam Reich, one of the couple’s children, sued his father in Westchester County Supreme Court as administrator of Goldman’s estate. The complaint asserted battery and wrongful death and argued that, but for the killing, the divorce would have finalized and Goldman would have received her share of marital assets. It stated that Reich “should not and cannot profit from his wrongdoing.”18Westfair Online. Scarsdale Lawyer Disbarred 6 Years After Killing Wife
Reich violated multiple court orders to appear for depositions and produce documents. When he finally sat for a virtual deposition from prison, he invoked the Fifth Amendment 132 times. Justice Joan B. Lefkowitz found he had done so “without a good-faith belief in the need for such protection.”18Westfair Online. Scarsdale Lawyer Disbarred 6 Years After Killing Wife
The parties signed a settlement on January 5, 2022, but Reich failed to make required payments. On December 15, 2022, Justice Lefkowitz found him in breach and entered a money judgment that included a lump sum of $932,536.62 plus nine percent statutory interest, monthly payments of $12,733 through September 2024, and further monthly payments of $26,640.21 tied to income he was receiving from PricewaterhouseCoopers under a non-compete agreement.19Trellis Law. Judgment to Court, Index No. 60322/2019 Reich’s motion for a stay of the enforcement order was denied as academic by the Appellate Division, Second Department, in September 2023.20New York State Courts. Adam Reich v. Julius Reich, Appellate Division Second Department
A Memorial for Dr. Goldman
The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore established the Dr. Robin Goldman Memorial Lectureship Fund in her honor. It supports an annual named lectureship in the Department of Pediatrics, sponsoring a visit by a nationally recognized physician-scholar for Pediatric Grand Rounds along with mentoring activities for students, residents, fellows, and faculty.6Montefiore Einstein. The Dr. Robin Goldman Memorial Lectureship Fund