Fall From Cliff Kills Couple in Corona del Mar

A divorced couple, each partially clothed, mysteriously plunged to their deaths Sunday night down a jagged 100-foot cliff onto a rocky beach, authorities said.

Just before midnight, beach strollers found the battered bodies of Robyn Liebman Taylor, 41, of Santa Ana, and her ex-husband, Robert Leslie Hammontree, 29, of Lake Elsinore. They were lying within a few feet of each other not far from the rising tide.

A car, believed to belong to either Taylor or Hammontree, was parked about 50 yards away in an exclusive neighborhood at Ocean Boulevard and Poppy Avenue. Most of the couple’s clothes were found near the edge of the cliff where police believe they fell.

Although no signs of a struggle were found and evidence seemed to point to an accident, police said, investigators were continuing to search for and interview relatives of Taylor and Hammontree.

Orange County Superior Court records show that at one point Taylor accused Hammontree of beating her and sought a restraining order against him.

Officials said an autopsy performed Monday showed that the couple died from injuries suffered in the fall.

There were no witnesses to the fall, said Sgt. Andy Gonis of the Newport Beach Police Department. There is a 10 p.m. curfew along the picturesque bluff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.

He described the area where Taylor and Hammontree fell as hazardous and difficult to reach because of wrought-iron fences and guard rails put up to keep people away from the danger.

“There is not a lot of room to move about on that plateau,” Gonis said.

Gonis said the beach area is easily accessible through a paved road that leads to stairs that extend to the beach.

Officials would not say if they knew exactly what time Taylor and Hammontree fell. Nor would they say if there was any evidence to explain why the two were together.

Taylor and Hammontree were divorced in July, 1992, after telling a judge they had irreconcilable differences, according to court records. The records also contain allegations that Hammontree had a drinking problems and occasionally became violent.

Before the divorce was filed, Taylor won a restraining order against Hammontree after she accused him of beating her with his fists, blackening her eyes and painting her face and the inside of her mouth with her nail polish.

Taylor said in her request that Hammontree “had occasional problems with alcohol. In the past, he has used his fists and hands to strike me in the face and body.”

Taylor, who represented herself at the proceeding, asked that Hammontree be kept 150 yards from her. She charged that he cracked her windshield, broke into her car and stole keys, cash and registration documents.

“I am a nervous wreck,” she wrote in 1991, “and do not have the strength to fight off his attacks. . . . He continues to threaten me and I am afraid of him. . . . I have been seeking refuge at friends’ homes, and last night I stayed in a motel for my safety and the safety of my car.”

Gonis said investigators were not aware of the temporary restraining order.

“This will be investigated,” he said. “And we will continue interviews with family members and friends to address background issues for both of the deceased.”

He said, however, investigators continue to believe the falls were accidental. He said results of tests for possible alcohol or drug use will not be available for several weeks.