Today is Saturday, June 13, 2020.

On this day in 1977, 26-year-old sister Roberta Robin Elam was raped and brutally murdered on the grounds of her own convent.

Though the crime occurred in broad daylight and well within earshot of the Mount St Joseph's convent, it remains

unsolved. Welcome to today in True Crime, a Parcast original.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes,

listener discretion is advised.

Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering the murder of Sister Robin, a novice who was attacked while

contemplating the decision to become a nun.

Let's go back to June 13, 1977 to Wheeling, West Virginia.

It was only 1030 in the morning, but Sister Teresa was already aching for a second cup of tea.

As Theresa poured the boiling water into her waiting mug,

Sister Robin bounded down the stairs into the convent kitchen.

Robin was buzzing with energy this morning. When Theresa greeted her, she gave a quick sharp

wave. Sister Robin was a new addition to the mother house,

the main living quarters at Mount St. Joseph's.

Not yet a full nun.

She'd spent the previous two years

traveling around West Virginia teaching adult religion classes

in Appalachian communities.

She left the road behind in the fall of 1976 to try convent life at Mount St Joseph. Theresa knew better than to ask Robin

what her morning plans were. Sister Robin had begun participation in a silent retreat.

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