Neighborhood reflects on the unthinkable

WAYNE, Pa. - The only thing that distinguishes 670 Forest Rd. from the surrounding houses is a cross made out of evergreen branches on the front lawn.

As you get closer, you can make out dried flowers spilling out of small vases, burned-out candles and two stuffed animals - one pink, one purple.

A sign reads: "Ellen may you be at peace. Love your friends."

The impromptu memorial marks the house of Penn Economics professor Rafael Robb, who was arrested this month in connection with the murder of his wife, Ellen.

Prosecutors have said that the relationship between Robb and his wife was strained - which could possibly have provided the motivation behind the murder.

Yet to many residents of this well-to-do neighborhood, located 30 minutes out of Center City, the Robb family was an enigma.

Neighbors - many of whom requested anonymity when discussing such a sensitive matter - said they rarely saw "Raffi," as he was known, and they saw Ellen even less.

Robb was described by neighbors as "aloof" and with "an air of arrogance," which many chalked up to his being a college professor.

Some added that they saw Robb infrequently and usually with his daughter, Olivia, who many described as being "very close to her father" - Robb would often take her out to sell Girl Scout cookies after he returned home from work.

To neighbor John Jorgenson, however, Rafael Robb presented a different face.

A teacher at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Jorgenson would sometimes see Robb when the two were walking their dogs, which they got from the same breeder.

They would have discussions about their various research interests - Robb specializes in game theory and Jorgenson studies aging - and he described Robb as a "very quiet intellectual."

Rumors are swirling here, driven by the media coverage and scraps of information gleaned from friends.

Several said, for example, that they heard that the Robbs' marriage was supposedly troubled, though no one saw the two fight in public.

But the lack of concrete information about the Robbs is far from unusual. The neighborhood, lacking sidewalks and on a steep hill, is far from close-knit.

"People don't tend to know each other," said Sarah Adams, who is visiting mother, resident Karen Adams .

But despite this, many in the area are "captivated" by the drama, Karen Adams said.

The Adams pointed out Websleuths.com, a blog that contains posts about the murder; they believe many posters live in the neighborhood.

And with a barrage of media and investigators crowding the once-quiet suburban area, not everyone is enjoying the attention.

One neighbor said that he didn't appreciate a "Spanish Inquisition" of reporters descending on this normally placid block.

It's become the norm for a neighborhood taken somewhat aback by the series of events involving the Robbs.

"It was a surprise," Jorgenson said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.