Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A Bristol Township cold case that authorities say has been solved will be the focus of a true crime show.
“People Magazine Investigates” on Investigation Discovery and discovery+ will premier an episode on the case Monday at 9 p.m.
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The show will focus on the 1991 murder of Joy Hibbs inside her Croydon home.
As LevittownNow.com reported in May, Robert Francis Atkins, 56, of Falls Township’s Fairless Hills section, was charged with murder of the first degree, murder of the second degree, two counts of robbery, and seven count of arson. He was denied bail due to the charges and has remained in the county lockup.
Authorities said Robert Atkins was behind the April 1991 murder of Joy Hibbs and the following arson of her home.
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Authorities first believed Hibbs, a wife and mother, died in an accidental fire, but the fire marshal at the time determined the fire started in four areas of the house and it was likely an accelerant had been used.
An autopsy revealed Joy Hibbs, who was badly burned, was stabbed, beaten, and likely strangled by a computer cord before her death.
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Atkins was looked at in 1991, but the alibi he told detectives at the time that he was with his family in the Poconos was believed by investigators at the time.
Although it was unclear how much scrutiny Atkins story was given. Atkins, a former neighbor of the Hibbs, was familiar with police. It turned out he was a police informant on drug cases and a user of methamphetamine, but he didn’t consider himself a “dealer,” according to court filings.
A grand jury was called recently to look at the case and evidence was obtained that led authorities to arrest Atkins in spring.
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Atkins had known the Hibbs and had previously provided them with marijuana, police said.
Prosecutors and detectives suspect a disagreement led to Atkins being upset at Joy Hibbs leading up to her death.
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