A 43-year-old man from North Carolina has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the 2017 murder of his parents. Curtis Atkinson Jr., with assistance from his girlfriend Nikkia Cooper, committed the act subsequent to their eviction from their residence.
On March 30, 2017, Atkinson and Cooper entered Atkinson’s parental home. Reports from the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office state that Atkinson inflicted up to 69 stab wounds on his father. This brutal act was allegedly viewed by Atkinson’s 11-year-old niece.
Choosing not to exit the crime scene, the pair remained in the house with both the bodies and the minor for days. They later opted to flee, relocating to Washington, D.C. on April 2 with the child. Their freedom was short-lived as they were soon arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department. Reports indicate Atkinson’s intention to use his niece as leverage for ransom.
The grim state of affairs at the Atkinson residence was unearthed when a fire alarm summoned firefighters. Investigations revealed that both victims, Ruby Atkinson and Curtis Atkinson Sr., had sustained grievous injuries. Ruby had gunshot and stab injuries, and Curtis Sr.’s body showed decomposition and broken teeth.
The court’s judgment on Atkinson included guilty verdicts for two charges of first-degree murder and a charge of first-degree kidnapping. In her verdict, Superior Court Judge Karen Eady-Williams declared two life terms for the murder charges and additional penalties for the other charges, accumulating to 404 to 532 months.
Nikkia Cooper, being a party to the crime, accepted guilt for two second-degree murder charges in 2019. Her sentences incorporated an additional concurrent sentence for a robbery.
