Lower Bucks Woman's Murder Featured On 'Dateline NBC'

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA —The murder of a Croydon mother of two —that went unresolved for more than two decades —will be the topic of a "Dateline NBC" show on Friday night.

The episode —"Justice for Joy" —is being promoted by "Dateline NBC" as this: "When Joy Hibbs is found dead in a house fire, an autopsy shows she was murdered beforehand. Even with multiple suspects, the investigation stalls, leaving the case cold for years. Decades later, a shocking secret is revealed."

"Dateline NBC" is promising interviews with Charlie and David Hibbs and Detective Michael Slaughter, among others. The program airs at 10 p.m. on Fridays on NBC.

In February, Robert Atkins of Bristol Township was sentenced to life in prison for killing Hibbs, a Croydon mother of two, in April 1991.

Atkins, 57, of Fairless Hills, was sentenced to life in prison without parole with an additional 15-30 years, authorities said.

Hibbs was found dead inside her home on April 19, 1991. Police determined that she had been murdered and the house intentionally set on fire.

For two days, it was believed Joy Hibbs died in an accidental fire, but an autopsy later revealed that she was repeatedly stabbed, had fractured ribs, and was asphyxiated.

The autopsy also found there was no smoke in her lungs, which the pathologist said indicated she died prior to the fire.

The Fire Marshal’s investigation determined the fire was intentionally set with four separate points of origin, two in the kitchen, one in David’s bedroom, and one in the hallway.

Early in the investigation, detectives developed Atkins as a suspect. He used to live two doors away from the Hibbs and was known to sell marijuana to Hibbs and her husband occasionally.

Witnesses testified that Atkins threatened Hibbs in a dispute over the quality of marijuana he sold, and in the weeks leading to the murder, a rock was thrown through their home window, her car tires were slashed, and the back door of the home was kicked in.

Other witnesses included neighbors who testified seeing a blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo, like the one Atkins was known to drive, parked haphazardly outside the Hibbs’ home around the time of the murder.

Atkins’ ex-wife also testified he came home on the day of the murder covered in blood and soot.
He told her to call out of work, losing much-needed income, and then took the family on an impromptu trip to the Poconos, she testified.

During the bench trial, her husband and two children testified about Joy’s life and death. “She was loved by all, cherished by her family, and silly with her son,” Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said. “They were joined at the hip, inseparable.”