Man Convicted Of Killing 35-Year-Old Mom In Her Croydon Home

For the past 32 years, the Hibbs family has waited for justice.

At the Bucks County Justice Center on Thursday afternoon, the family received the first bit of it when Court of Common Pleas Judge Wallace Bateman handed down a verdict against Robert Francis Atkins, 57, of Bristol Township’s Fairless Hills section, for murder in the first degree and two counts of arson for the killing Joy Hibbs, 35, inside her home in Bristol Township’s Croydon section.

Atkins was acquitted on other related charges, including burglary and robbery.

The penalty phase of the case is set to begin on Friday. The Hibbs family will present victim impact statements.

The murder in the first degree conviction carries a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

Although the death penalty was initially on the table, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office removed it Thursday from consideration following discussions with the Hibbs family, who expressed their preference after coming from out of the area to attend the three-day bench trial, District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said.

A bench trial, also known as a waiver trial, means that a defendant and prosecutor agree to waive a jury trial and have a judge decide.

The case against Atkins centered on the April 19, 1991 murder of Joy Hibbs and the arson of her home. Atkins’ arrest in 2022 followed a years-long investigation that received national attention.

Prosecutors painted a picture of a dispute gone fatally wrong, alleging Atkins, a former neighbor, was incensed over complaints from Joy Hibbs about the quality of marijuana he sold weeks prior.

Joy Hibbs, a medical assistant, and her husband, both natives of Florida, smoked recreational marijuana.

Hibbs’ family – her husband Charlie, son David, and daughter Angie – have fought for years to get a resolution in the cold case. After an investigation fizzled out in the years following the murder, Bristol Township police Detective Michael Slaughter, now a sergeant, and Bucks County Detective David Hanks were tasked with reexamining the case. A grand jury was seated to aid in the investigation.

Key testimony came from the Hibbs’ family; April Atkins, Robert Atkins’ ex-wife; several investigators; Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito; a retired Bristol Township detective; and others who knew Robert Atkins.

Prosecutors described a pattern of escalating threats and suspicious activities leading up to the murder.

At first, the death was believed to be caused by the fire and not a crime, but it was determined the next day to be a homicide.

An autopsy conducted on April 20, 1991 found Joy Hibbs was stabbed, beaten, and likely strangled with a computer cord before her death. She was then set ablaze with the fire being strong enough to burn off her pants. There was a possible accelerant poured on her body, a forensic pathologist testified.

The autopsy determined Hibbs wasn’t alive when fire and smoke filled the house.

David Hibbs testified that he overheard a call where Robert Atkins, who has a distinctive style of speaking, threatened his mother in the weeks before her murder.

“‘I will f**king kill you and blow up your house,” David Hibbs recalled Robert Atkins saying.

In the weeks leading up to the murder, authorities said someone tried to kick in his Hibbs family’s backdoor, slashed the tires on Joy Hibbs’ prized 1988 Mercury Cougar in the driveway, and Robert Atkins called the doctor’s office where she worked to threaten her.

Joy Hibbs didn’t tell her husband about the threats because she was worried his loyal personality would lead to him confronting a volatile Robert Atkins, whose ex-wife previously testified he used methamphetamine and other drugs.

April Atkins, Robert Atkins’ ex-wife who was married to him at the time of the crime, testified that Robert Atkins walked into their apartment in Falls Township after the homicide and fire at the Hibbs’ home. He had dark blood-like stains on his pants and shirt.

Joy Hibbs was friends with April Atkins leading up to the homicide.

Following the murder and fire, Robert Atkins and his family, including two young kids, took an abrupt trip to the Poconos, which the prosecution framed a way to flee as the investigation that was underway and create an alibi.

Defense attorney Craig Penglase argued that the investigation was flawed from its early years and suggested that the evidence against Robert Atkins was not strong. He questioned the credibility of witnesses and pointed to a lack of concrete evidence linking Robert Atkins to the murder and the arson.

The defense attorney told the court there was “reasonable doubt” that Robert Atkins committed the murder, started the fire, and stole the $63 Hibbs had just received from a check she cashed.

“We will never find out who killed Joy Hibbs,” Penglase said during his closing argument.

Penglase said Bristol Township police botched the case in the 1990s, and by the time the reexamination started in recent years, the detectives assigned did their best but couldn’t find the real killer.

Robert Atkins was a police informant in the 1990s.

Robert Atkins’ ex-wife was not honest in her testimony and may have been a suspect in the killing until she abruptly came forward to police to point the finger at her former husband, Penglase said.

An inmate, who was confined with Robert Atkins, testified he asked the defendant about the murder and he gave a shrug or nod that led him to believe Robert Atkins was admitting to it.

Penglase pointed out that the inmate never heard Robert Atkins verbally admit to the murder.

During the closing arguments, Penglase said a former neighbor testified that Robert Atkins had threatened to kill her and blow up her house during a dispute over yard waste. The threat was nearly identical to one that David Hibbs heard his mom received leading up to the day of her killing.

“He gets mad. He has words and then it’s done,” Penglase said, noting his client never ended up following through on the threat to his neighbor.

Penglase also argued to the judge that there was no proof his client stole any money from Joy Hibbs, claiming it may have been burnt in the fire.

In her closing argument, Schorn said the testimony and evidence laid out by the prosecution pointed to Robert Atkins being the killer.

Questioning whether Penglase was in the same courtroom, Schorn stated many of the defense’s claims left out information.

“We have proved that this defendant – then 25 years old – took the life of 35-year-old Joy Hibbs,” Schorn told the court. “That’s what he did.”

The district attorney noted that Robert Atkins has a history of having a short fuse, which would explain the violent killing.

“Joy died an unimaginable death,” Schorn said.

On claims of police botching the case in the early years, Schorn said the current investigative team was thorough and left no stone unturned.

“Certainly, there were mistakes” in the past, she said.

Schorn stated the current team that investigated and prosecuted the case was top notch.

Showing home videos of the Hibbs family shortly before the killing, the district attorney said the family would be so happy today if Joy Hibbs was still around.

After the verdict came down, Hibbs family showed signs of relief and Schorn appeared to have tears in her eyes, while Robert Atkins remained stoic at the defense table.

When court ended for the day and after sentencing was scheduled for Friday, Robert Atkins appeared to have tears in his eyes as he spoke with attorneys as deputies were preparing to lead him out.

“The family suffered for so long … we were proud we were able to do this,” Schorn said after court, adding the family is relieved by the conviction.

Hanks, the county detective on the case, said he was pleased with the outcome on Thursday.

“We finally got it done,” he said.

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