Karen Patterson

Death by Force

Karen Patterson, a 13-year-old girl from Charleston, South Carolina, tragically lost her life on October 27, 1985. The events leading to her death were both shocking and brutal. On that fateful morning, Joseph Ernest Atkins, who lived in a duplex next to the Patterson family, committed a series of violent acts that culminated in Karen's death. Atkins, armed with a machete and a sawed-off shotgun, first cut the phone lines to the Patterson home, ensuring they could not call for help.

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https://murderpedia.org/male.A/images/a/atkins_joseph_ernest/clemency.pdf

Newspapers.com: Death Penalty Upheld (Benjamin Frank Atkins and Karen Patterson 1985) 1990 - Newspapers.com

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