The Associated Press Acquaintances of accused Penn State sniper Jillian Robbins have alternately described her as friendly and flirtatious, sullen and withdrawn, smart but unmotivated, and energetic yet aimless -- a rebellious nonconformist who was constantly craving acceptance. ''I feel like we should have been able to see this coming,'' said Brenda Young, manager of the convenience store where Robbins clerked. ''But even on her bad days, we never dreamed she'd hurt someone, except maybe herself.'' In the weeks before last Tuesday's campus shooting, the transient 19-year-old had been served with divorce papers, swallowed a bunch of pills in a suicide attempt, sought treatment at a mental hospital and had a ''huge fight'' with her new live-in sweetheart, friends and co-workers said. ''Her emotional turmoil had been building for a long time, but I believe that last fight with her boyfriend Monday night is what set Jill off,'' said Carol Witmer, a co-worker at the Uni-Mart in nearby Boalsburg. The next morning, police said Robbins killed a student and wounded another in a random shooting spree on the Penn State lawn. Police investigators said she told them that she had simply decided to shoot. Robbins, who was not a student, was arraigned Friday on multiple charges of murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault. She could face the death penalty if convicted, making her one of the youngest women ever on death row in Pennsylvania, according to a legal historian. Residents of the three neighborhoods where Robbins had lived in the past 15 months and fellow employees at the three businesses where she worked over the same period of time spoke of a witty, artistic tomboy with a passion for exotic pets, imported cigars and funky hairstyles -- at one point wearing her hair in a purple Mohawk. ''She's not the monster the media is making her out to be. She does need help, though,'' said Kathryn Park, who rented a studio apartment to Williams and Robbins after their Aug. 1, 1995, wedding. Robbins had moved to State College in December 1994 in the middle of her senior year at DuBois (Pa.) Area High School. She enrolled in an alternative education program called the Delta Program, but did not finish. She was discharged from the Army Reserves for failing to complete high school.
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