In the quiet, pre-dawn hours of a Sunday morning in North Charleston, South Carolina, a violent chain of events unfolded that would leave two people dead. On October 27, 1985, 75-year-old Benjamin Frank Atkins was killed in his home. His adoptive son, Joseph Ernest Atkins, would later be charged and convicted for his murder.
The incident began to unfold just before daybreak when a neighbor was awakened by a noise outside.
The neighbor saw Joseph Atkins carrying a machete and a sawed-off shotgun. Shortly after, the neighbor discovered their phone lines were dead and went to use Benjamin Atkins' phone. It was then that a gunshot was heard.
Joseph Atkins first went to the home of the Polite family, who were tenants behind his father's duplex. He shot and killed their 13-year-old daughter, Karen Patterson. After shooting Karen, her mother, Fatha Patterson, ran to Benjamin Atkins' home for help. As she reached the door, she saw Joseph aim the shotgun at her. Benjamin Atkins then went to the door and was shot by his son in the shoulder area. The elder Atkins collapsed and died from a significant loss of blood.
Joseph Ernest Atkins was later arrested and stood trial. He was convicted on two counts of murder for the deaths of his father, Benjamin Frank Atkins, and Karen Patterson. He also faced charges of first-degree burglary, unlawful possession of a sawed-off shotgun, and two counts of assault with intent to kill. For the two murder convictions, Joseph Ernest Atkins received the death penalty. His case went through the appeals process, and the South Carolina Supreme Court affirmed the guilt phase of his trial but remanded the case for a new sentencing hearing.
