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. and his girlfriend Nikkia Cooper committed the crime after being evicted from their residence.
On March 30, 2017, the couple visited Atkinson’s parents’ home. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office has reported that Atkinson assaulted his father, stabbing him up to 69 times. Atkinson’s 11-year-old niece was present during the incident, allegedly forced to witness the crime.
Rather than vacating the premises, the couple, along with the deceased and the minor, stayed in the house for several days. On April 2, they decided to flee, taking the 11-year-old with them to Washington, D.C. Upon reaching the capital, they were detained by the Metropolitan Police Department. Atkinson reportedly contemplated offering his niece for ransom.
The situation at the family home was brought to light when firefighters arrived due to a fire alarm. Both victims sustained grave injuries: Ruby Atkinson had 17 stab wounds as well as gunshot injuries, while Curtis Atkinson Sr.’s body showed signs of severe decomposition, accompanied by broken teeth.
In court, Atkinson faced multiple charges, and was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and one of first-degree kidnapping. Superior Court Judge Karen Eady-Williams delivered two life sentences consecutively for the murders and prescribed additional sentences for other charges, totaling 404 to 532 months.
Nikkia Cooper had earlier admitted to two counts of second-degree murder in 2019. Alongside her sentence for these crimes, she was given a concurrent sentence for robbery.