Ex-Philadelphia police detective says he was told to "stay away" from suspect in 1991 murder. Suspect Robert Atkins was a confidential informant for Bristol Township Police Department.
Atkins was found guilty of the murder of Joy Hibbs in April 1991 and sentenced to life in prison. Hibbs' son says authorities 'looked the other way' and 'covered up' the case. Police say they are aware of the allegations, but cannot comment because none of the officers involved worked for the municipality at the time of the crime in 1991. The suspect was convicted of murder and sentenced in April. The case remains unsolved, but Atkins is serving a life sentence in prison for Hibbs's murder, which police say was over a small bag of marijuana he bought from his mother. The murder was never solved, but police say they believe Atkins was involved in the crime. The investigation into the murder is still ongoing, police say. The former police chief who the detective says gave those orders is dead. Another narcotics detective who was identified as Atkins' handler died in 2018.