The morning of April 19, 1991, began as a regular day for the residents of Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. However, things took a turn when Joy Ann Hibbs, a beloved wife and a dutiful mother, lost her life when her house caught on fire. What seemed like an accidental tragedy soon turned out to be a homicide. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Justice for Joy’ revisits the facts on how the case went cold, leaving the Hibbs family searching for answers. A breakthrough arrived around three decades later, bringing the killer to justice. The episode also features interviews with her loved ones and officials who worked tirelessly to bring the killer to light.
Joy Hibbs Was Killed Before Her House Was Set on Fire
On September 23, 1955, Albert Bryan and Tommie Jane Auvil welcomed their daughter, Joy Ann Auvil, into this world. She was born in Ocala, Florida, and grew up in a loving household alongside her brothers, Clarence, George, Thomas, Jimmy, and Howard, and sisters Frances, Millie, and Susan. She was known for her friendly personality and kind nature. While she was in high school in Florida, she met the love of her life, Charlie Hibbs, and they tied the knot by the time she graduated from high school. Over the next few years, they welcomed their son and daughter, David and Angie, into their lives. Eventually, Joy and her family settled down in Bristol Township, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. By 1990, she had already worked several jobs but had returned to school to obtain her certification to become a Medical Assistant.

Joy also loved spending her time outdoors doing activities like camping and fishing. Her life was going perfectly when it turned upside down on April 19, 1991. While Charlie left home early for work, her children were also off to school. However, when David returned early that afternoon from school, he saw Joy’s car in the driveway but was shocked to find the house engulfed in flames. He ran to the neighbor for help, who then alerted the authorities. As firefighters arrived and entered the home, they found her deceased amid the flames. They also noted that four knobs of the oven burner were on, which they turned off. Once the fire was brought under control, officials discovered that the fire originated in multiple places. It meant there was no connection between the fires that lit up the different rooms of the house.
The stove burners reportedly had a pile-up of flammable substances on them. The experts concluded that the fire was deliberately set, considering it arson. Forensic experts reportedly could not collect much evidence since the intense fire destroyed several things. However, they noted that the cash from Joy’s wallet was missing, indicating that the killer stole it and set the house on fire to destroy evidence. A clock was discovered in David’s room that had stopped at 12:54 pm. The autopsy revealed that Joy had no traces of smoke inside her lungs, indicating that she had already passed away when the house was set on fire. The autopsy uncovered that her ribcage was crushed, she was reportedly stabbed five times, and there were likely signs of strangulation.
Critical Missteps in the Murder Investigation Stalled the Case For Years
Detectives learned that after running errands as usual on April 19, 1991, Joy’s neighbors saw her return home around 11 am. Shortly after, a pastor and his assistant from a local Baptist church visited her. Officials found they had left the house around 11:45 am since the pastor had a dentist’s appointment. So, they reportedly narrowed down the time of the murder between 11:50 am and 12:50 pm. It was based on the time of the clock in David’s room and the time she was last seen alive. They discovered that around two months before the murder, the family’s home was vandalized. There were instances where Joy’s car tires were slashed, and a brick was thrown through the windows. Despite multiple leads, all of them turned out to be dead ends. However, one of Angie’s friends informed them that she saw a blue Monte Carlo car parked seemingly in a rush before Joy’s home on the afternoon of the murder.

David told the officials that such a car belonged to one of Joy’s friends and a former neighbor, April Atkins. He added that April’s husband, Robert Atkins, had a bad temper. He reportedly recalled that shortly before the incident, he overheard Robert screaming at Joy over a call. She reportedly confided in him that she and Charlie bought $20 worth of marijuana from Robert, but they wanted to return it because it was of bad quality. However, Robert was threatening Joy over that matter. Detectives found that Robert had a criminal record, but of minor offenses. When he was questioned, he claimed to have no involvement with Joy’s murder. He alleged that during the time of the murder, he received a call at home. Furthermore, Robert claimed he and April took their children on a trip to the Pocono Mountains.
Police allegedly confirmed Robert’s alibi by visiting the hotel he and his family stayed in. Detectives also learned that Robert and April owned a black Monte Carlo instead of a blue one. Hence, they next questioned Charlie, who told them he was doing his construction work 20 miles away during that time. It was further confirmed by the people working with him that day. With no further leads, the case ultimately went cold. In 2014, a new detective was assigned to the case, who ruled out Charlie as a suspect based on their interviews. However, he found that the previous detectives never interviewed April or kept any proper record of the other interrogations. It turned out that Robert was interviewed in 1991 by two narcotics detectives rather than homicide officials.
The Killer Was Brought to Justice Over Three Decades Later
The new detective on Joy’s case learned that one of the previous investigators had reportedly received orders from the then police chief not to investigate further on Robert since he was a police informant. Hence, his phone record and whether he owned another blue Monte Carlo were reportedly not checked further in 1991. So, the new official again questioned April and Robert, who were then divorced. They reportedly repeated the same statements about their alibi. When the detective verified the phone call that Robert claimed came when he was at home during Joy’s murder, it turned out to be around 1:30 pm. Moreover, when he checked up on the Pocono Mountains alibi, he learned that Robert and his family didn’t sign into their hotel register on April 19, 1991, until 5 pm.
Shockingly, on September 11, 2016, April came to the police station and admitted that she lied about Robert’s alibi. She claimed that on that fateful day in 1991, Robert came home around lunchtime covered in blood. He allegedly told her that he had stabbed someone and set a house on fire. She claimed she was scared of Robert, which prevented her from telling the truth. Despite the new statements and evidence, it wasn’t until mid-2021 that the district attorney’s office began an investigation into Robert. In December 2021, they recorded a call between him and April by getting the latter’s consent. However, Robert reportedly didn’t provide any indication that he committed the crime.
By January 2022, the case of Joy was brought before the grand jury. In May 2022, Robert was finally arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, two counts of robbery, and seven counts of arson. His bench trial began on January 29, 2024. Ultimately, Robert was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of arson on February 1, 2024. Just one day later, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder. Furthermore, Robert was sentenced to an additional 5 to 7 years in prison for the first count of arson and a concurrent 10 to 20 years for the second count.
Read More: Where is Robert Atkins Now?