Naman Shrestha
The murder of Joy Hibbs in the spring of 1991 sent shockwaves across the entire community of Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. For several years, the investigation led the detectives to nothing but dead ends. It all changed when a shocking confession incriminated a man named Robert Atkins, who used to live in the same neighborhood as Joy. He turned out to be the perpetrator behind the gruesome murder of the 35-year-old mother. The murder case and the years-long investigation that followed are covered in a detailed manner in the episode titled ‘Justice for Joy’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline.’
Robert Atkins Managed to Stay Out of the Police’s Radar For Decades
Born on February 6, 1966, Robert Francis Atkins was married to April Atkins, who was his high school sweetheart. The couple lived a few doors away from the Hibbs family, which consisted of Joy and Charlie Hibbs and their children, in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. Over time, April and Joy became close friends, with the former spending a significant amount of time at Joy’s house. As per reports, Robert was a police informant who occasionally sold marijuana to the Hibbs. Thus, when Joy was found brutally murdered in her burned house at 1200 Spencer Drive in the Croydon section of Bristol Township on April 19, 1991, the Atkinses were naturally linked to the crime. However, by that time, Robert and April had already shifted to another property a few miles away.
When questioned about his whereabouts at the time of the murder, he claimed that he was at home and getting ready to take his family on a vacation in the Pocono Mountains. His wife corroborated his story, and the police eliminated him as a potential suspect. Since he was associated with the police, he was reportedly not investigated thoroughly by the detectives, despite the suspicions raised against him. According to Joy’s son, David Hibbs, Robert and Joy got into a heated argument over the call a few weeks prior to the tragedy. It was regarding the quality of marijuana that he had given them and the fact that she wanted to return it. Over time, the authorities found holes in his alibi and learned that he had access to his grandmother’s blue Monte Carlo, which was seen outside the Hibbs’ residence on the morning of the murder by a neighbor.
The case was cracked open in 2016 when April reached out to the investigators and claimed that on April 19, 1991, Robert came home “covered in blood.” She said, “He said, ‘I stabbed somebody and lit a house on fire.'” Despite her claims, it took the authorities several years to gather enough evidence against the suspect to make an arrest. The detectives also learned about his alleged involvement in the violent assault of his aunt, Charlene Atkins, in the 1980s while living in Tennessee. For this crime, he was convicted as a minor and spent time in a juvenile facility on probation. Finally, in May 2022, Robert was arrested for stabbing the 35-year-old woman to death and setting the residence on fire to get rid of the evidence. He was charged with first-degree murder, arson, and robbery.
Robert Atkins is Currently Incarcerated at a Pennsylvania Prison Facility
Robert Atkins’ bench trial for the murder of Joy Hibbs commenced on January 29, 2024. During the trial, the prosecution claimed that the defendant’s motive behind the gruesome crime was the botched marijuana deal. Meanwhile, the defense argued that the prosecution lacked enough evidence to prove Robert’s guilt. The prosecution also brought in several witnesses, who testified against the defendant, claiming that he had threatened Joy in the weeks before the murder. His ex-wife, April, also testified about the fateful day when he came home covered in blood and took the family on an impromptu trip.
After four days of bench trial, on February 1, 2024, Robert Atkins was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of arson, in connection with the death of Joy Hibbs. The following day, his sentencing hearing took place, during which Joy’s family members gave victim impact statements. Her husband, Charlie Hibbs, stated, “Joy was my high school sweetheart, my first love, mother to my children, and the loving soul that kept our family together. The choice he made that day broke our hearts but strengthened us as a family. According to my faith, I am supposed to forgive, and I am finding difficulty in doing so.”
He elaborated, “But I hope that Mr. Atkins lives to be a very old man and thinks about the choices he made that day, and all the things he has missed while spending time incarcerated…As this nightmare comes to an end for my family, his is about to start.” Ultimately, Robert was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder conviction, five to seven years for one count of arson conviction, and 10 to 20 years for the second count of arson conviction. As of today, the 59-year-old killer is serving his sentence at SCI Benner Township in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
Read More: Where is Joy Hibbs’ Family Now?
