Woman charged in PSU murder

Jillian Robbins, 19, charged with 1st-degree murder of Penn State student Melanie Spalla The woman who allegedly shot two Pennsylvania State University students Tuesday, killing one and wounding the other, was charged yesterday with first-degree murder. The suspect, 19-year-old Jillian Robbins of Troftrees, Pa., also faces several additional murder and assault charges related to the incident. Robbins is not a Penn State student. Robbins went on a shooting spree early Tuesday morning at Penn State's University Park campus, killing 21-year-old Melanie Spalla of Altoona, Pa., and wounding 22-year-old Nicholas Mensah, a Philadelphia native. At a press conference announcing the charges yesterday afternoon, Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar said he is considering this a capital case -- meaning he believes Robbins "knowingly created grave risk of death to others in addition to the victim of the murder." He added that he is requesting Robbins be ineligible for bail. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for September 26 at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa. Penn State President Graham Spanier emphasized yesterday that despite Tuesday's shooting, Penn State's main campus remains safe. "We have a long history of safety and we intend to do everything we can to continue in this mode," he said. "Parents can be confident that this is still a safe environment." As news of the shooting spread to parents, Penn State officials encouraged students to call home and reassure their parents. Some parents of University of Pennsylvania students called Penn offices, apparently believing the shootings had occurred here. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum said yesterday that she received 11 phone calls "from parents who got the names of the universities reversed." Penn students reacted to news of the shooting with shock. College junior Meredith Hertz, whose sister attends Penn State, said she was particularly surprised because the environment surrounding Penn State's campus is rural and appears safe. "Where Penn State's located is called Happy Valley and it's very much a college town," she said. "The shooting was so out of the ordinary. They don't have an urban campus and the same problems that we do living in the city of Philadelphia." Hertz added that Penn State's campus does not appear to be prone or vulnerable to crimes like Tuesday's incident. "It's just acres and acres of land," she said. "It's such a total college experience -- it's football games and parties. It's like Spring Fling every weekend. The campus is very sheltered." Robbins, who was allegedly hiding in shrubbery near the Hetzel Union Building before she began her shooting spree, fired five shots with a high-powered 7-mm Mauser hunting rifle, striking the two victims and lodging a third bullet in the backpack of another witness. Spalla, who was walking from class, was shot from approximately 46 yards away and died at the scene. Mensah was shot from approximately 100 yards away. He is listed in guarded condition, remaining in the intensive care unit at Centre Community Hospital. Penn State student Brendon Malovrh, an aerospace engineering major from Downington, Pa., wrestled Robbins to the ground and managed to take her gun away. During the struggle, Robbins drew a knife and attempted to strike Malovrh, but instead stabbed herself in the leg. Malovrh subdued Robbins and applied a tourniquet to her leg while they waited for Penn State police. Robbins, who is recovering from surgery at Centre Community Hospital, is listed in fair condition and is under police guard. She has reportedly suffered from depression in the past. Penn State and State College Borough police officials said she told them she decided to "do it" at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. According to police investigators, Robbins left her apartment near the Penn State campus at around 7:45 a.m., with the rifle concealed under her raincoat. Before going onto the campus, Robbins stopped at a convenience store, where she bought a newspaper and juice. Robbins allegedly walked onto campus and took up her position on the HUB lawn at about 8 a.m., where she read the paper before assuming what police termed "a prone position" to begin the shooting spree. Dave Stormer, Penn State's assistant vice president for university safety, said Robbins did not know anyone at the scene. He added that police will execute a grid search on the nearly 18 acres of lawn that surround the scene. They will look for additional clues and spent cartridges. Spanier praised Penn State and State College Borough police for their handling of the situation, adding that such tragedies cannot always be foreseen. "We have a highly professional force on campus -- one that rivals that of any community of this size," Spanier said. "But no university, no community, is immune from a random act of violence. If someone is intent on bringing a rifle into a community and using it, it's hard to stop that."

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