Joseph Ernest Atkins

Serial Killer

Joseph Ernest Atkins: Three Murders Across Sixteen Years

Joseph Ernest Atkins was an American murderer, often classified as a serial killer, whose three known victims were killed in North Charleston, South Carolina, in two widely separated episodes. His first known murder occurred on December 31, 1969, when he killed his 23-year-old half-brother, Charles Edward Atkins. Sixteen years later, while on parole for that murder, Atkins killed 13-year-old Karen Patterson and his 75-year-old adoptive father, Benjamin Frank Atkins, during a violent attack on October 27, 1985. The circumstances surrounding Atkins's crimes were unusual for a serial murderer. His victims were not strangers selected according to a consistent pattern. Two were members of his own family, while the third was a teenage neighbor. Nevertheless, his three intentional killings, separated by a substantial period of time, have resulted in his inclusion on numerous lists of American serial killers.

Early Life and Military Service

Joseph Ernest Atkins was born in June 1947 and was raised in the Charleston, South Carolina, area by his adoptive parents, Benjamin and Gladys Atkins. Accounts presented during the lengthy legal proceedings that followed his later murders described a troubled childhood marked by family violence and serious conflict between Joseph and his older half-brother, Charles. Atkins later served in the United States military during the Vietnam War. His attorneys would eventually emphasize his combat experiences as part of their attempts to explain his behavior and seek a punishment other than death. Evidence concerning his military service, alcoholism, psychological condition and troubled upbringing became particularly important during the sentencing phases of his later capital murder case.

The Murder of Charles Edward Atkins

Atkins's first confirmed murder occurred on December 31, 1969, only a short time after his return from military service. Joseph and his 23-year-old half-brother, Charles Edward Atkins, were visiting friends in the North Charleston area when an argument developed between them. Rather than allowing the confrontation to end when he left the residence, Joseph Atkins traveled several miles to his father's home. There he obtained a shotgun. He then returned to the residence where Charles remained. Atkins fatally shot his half-brother with the shotgun. During the legal proceedings that followed, Atkins maintained that he had been afraid of Charles and suggested that he believed his brother might have been reaching for a weapon. Prosecutors, however, emphasized that Atkins had left the original confrontation, traveled to another location to obtain a firearm and then deliberately returned. Atkins was indicted for murder in 1970. An attempt was made to resolve the case through a manslaughter plea, but the proposed plea became problematic because Atkins continued to claim that he had acted in self-defense. The case proceeded to trial, and a jury convicted him of murder. The jury recommended mercy, preventing a death sentence, and Atkins received a life prison term. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Charles Atkins Age: (23), Date of Death: 1969-12-31

Joseph Ernest Atkins - Wikipedia