Some neighbors describe Craig Garber as a frightening, unnerving man while others say he was a good neighbor, an animal lover and a poet.

Fox 17 dug deeper and uncovered what some call an unexpected past that makes this case even more perplexing for the people that know him.

According to 2001 news reports, a Massachusetts man named Craig Garber drove more than 200 miles from his home to help victims in the rubble of the 9/11 attacks.

Jacki Allison says that's the same Craig Garber that lives next door to her family in Bellevue.

"He was very nice," Allison said.  "He was always there to help me."

She said it's also the same Craig Garber who police believe stabbed three people to death early Sunday morning.  The victims were a grandmother, her daughter and a 14-year-old grandson who were Allison's next door neighbors on the other side.

"It just breaks my heart that this happened to them," Allison said.

Sunday afternoon Allison was still struggling to understand why it happened.  She said Garber was always very nice to the victims and that the Garber she knew was an animal lover and a poet.

She also showed Fox 17 the heartfelt poems he'd written about 9/11.

But other neighbors say they'd seen a dark side.

"He had crazy eyes," said Josh Kirby who lives in the neighborhood.  "He jumped around to a lot of different subjects when trying to tell me a story and  it was just very unnerving."

Kirby said he and his wife met Garber a few weeks ago and that they sensed immediately that something was different about him.

"My wife, she was very scared of him from the very beginning," Kirby said.

Investigators say Garber's family told them he suffered from emotional issues and was taking medication.

Allison said she'd noticed mood swings.

"There was definitely something that he was battling," Allison said.

But she never imagined he could be capable of something like this.

"They were nice people," Allison said.  "Even Craig, despite all his issues, deep down these people were good people."

Metro police said Garber lived with his mother and brother who could not be reached for comment.Murder Suspect was 9/11 Search and Rescue, Neighbors say - Eric Alvarez