Bucks Co. Man Charged In 1991 Murder Of Local Mother: DA

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub announced that a Falls Township man has been charged with the 1991 murder of a mother from Croydon, who was his former neighbor.

Robert Francis Atkins, 56, was charged with murder in the first and second degrees, two counts of robbery, and seven counts of arson after a Grand Jury presentment concluded that Atkins murdered 35-year-old Joy Hibbs on April 19, 1991.

The charges were approved by Grand Jury Supervising Judge Raymond F. McHugh and Atkins was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Frank W. Peranteau Sr. who denied bail and remanded him to the Bucks County Correctional Facility.

Following a five-month grand jury investigation, investigators found that Atkins was responsible for Hibbs' death at her home, located at 1200 Spencer Drive in the Croydon section of Bristol Township. Investigators found evidence from numerous witness testimonies and survaillance footage found that Atkins had taken money from Hibbs before strangling her with a power cord, repeatedly stabbing her, and setting fire to the home in an attempt to cover up the crime.

The initial investigation by the Bristol Township Police Department determined that Hibbs was likely murdered between 11:50 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. on that Friday in April. Witnesses reported seeing a blue Chevy Monte Carlo parked haphazardly outside the Hibbs home, a car that Atkins, who lived two doors down, was known to drive.

Atkin's ex-wife, April, was one of the witnesses invovled in the investigation. She told Bucks County investigators that on the day of Hibb's murder, Atkins returned home covered in blood, saying that he had stabbed someone and lit their house on fire. He told her to call out of work and that their family would go to the Poconos for a few days; records indicated that they arrived in the Poconos around 5 p.m. that day.

Hibb's husband, now living in Seattle, Washington, used money from his retirement fund to gather $25,000 as a reward for information that would lead to an arrest for her murder. That amount was later doubled to $50,000 when family friends pitched into the reward.

Hibb's case was reopened back in May. Atkins had been long thought to be responsible for the crime, but there was little evidence linking him to it.

April had previously denied knowing anything about the murder.

The Hibbs family published the following statement:

Joy Hibbs was a sweet, charming southern girl from central Florida. A loving and devoted mother, wife, and medical assistant. She was highly regarded and loved by her friends, neighbors, and co-workers alike.

On April 19th, 1991, she was brutally murdered in her own home in broad daylight. Stabbed five times in the chest and neck and strangled with an electrical cord. Her body and our family home were intentionally set on fire in an attempt to make this horrific crime disappear.

The immense grief and suffering our family has endured over the last three decades will never disappear. For thirty-one years, our family has been haunted by this tragic loss, knowing, without a doubt, that Robert Atkins was the perpetrator. Our family has waited thirty-one years for justice to prevail.

We would like to thank District Attorney Matt Weintraub and Chief Deputy DA Jennifer Schorn and Detective David Hanks for pursuing this case. We especially want to thank Detective Michael Slaughter of the Bristol Township Police department for his tireless effort in investigating this case and seeking justice for our family.

We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community and ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.

"This is a bittersweet day for the Hibbs family,” District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. “Mr. Atkins’ arrest decades after he murdered Joy Hibbs is proof that law enforcement perseverance and sheer power of will can overcome many obstacles in proving a murder case. I am grateful to our Bucks County Grand Jury for shining a light on Joy Hibbs’ killer, Robert Atkins, so that we can finally hold him accountable for her murder.

"I’d like to give special credit to Bristol Township Police Detective Mike Slaughter, Bucks County Detective Dave Hanks, and 1st Assistant Jen Schorn for their determination in solving this murder. Now, we can expect justice to prevail."