The Murder of Jessica Carpenter: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

On August 4, 2000, Judy Carpenter returned to her Aiken, South Carolina home to find her 17-year-old daughter Jessica Carpenter’s body. Jessica had been brutally raped and murdered by Robert Atkins. The story will be featured on tonight’s episode of Hometown Homicide on the ID channel. 

Judy Carpenter, Jessica’s mother, honors the anniversary of her daughter’s death each year by placing a memorial piece in the Aiken Standard newspaper. Jessica was the youngest of three sisters, played in the school band and worked as a hostess at the local Red Lobster, according to the 2020 article.

“I wanted some kind of thing for the community to remember her,” Judy Carpenter told the Aiken Standard. “It was an event that no one in Aiken will ever forget. I think they look for this every year in the paper. It’s a nice remembrance for Jessica.”

The official cause of Jessica Carpenter’s death, according to the then-Aiken County Coroner Sue Townsend who conducted the autopsy was internal bleeding and lack of oxygen. After two years of investigation, Robert Franklin Atkins was identified by police as Jessica Carpenter’s killer.

Here’s what you should know about the murder of Jessica Carpenter:

1. The Family Published a Poem For Jessica’s Obituary

Who Killed Jessica Chambers? | Hometown Homicide: Local MysteriesWhen first responders arrive at the scene of a car fire, they are met by 19-year-old Jessica Chambers, engulfed in flames. Fourteen months later, police believe they’ve finally found her killer. Subscribe to ID: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=investigationdiscovery Join Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery Follow Us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DiscoveryID ID’s on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/investigationdiscovery/2020-04-25T14:00:30Z

In lieu of a traditional obituary, Carpenter’s family published a poem about love and memories.

“There’s an unbroken thread/That is woven from love/and it keeps family always together for nothing is as real as the moments we shared,” they wrote.

The obituary was signed by “Mom, Dad, Heather, Amy, Family and Friends,” and it encouraged people to plant memorial trees in Carpenter’s memory. The page is still available today.

2. Jessica Carpenter’s Family is Glad Her Story Continues to be Told

Carpenter or Killer? | Cold BloodAfter a murder, the accused killer returns to the scene of the crime. Thursdays @ 9pm on ID | Find out more at http://investigation.discovery.com/tv/cold-blood/#mkcpgn=ytid1 – — True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery Add Hundreds of Crime Shows to Amazon Prime – Start Your 7-Day Free Trial Today! http://investigationdiscovery.com/TrueCrimeFiles2012-06-26T14:36:35Z

Judy Carpenter told the Aiken Standard in 2020 that she’s glad that Jessica’s story continues to be told and she hopes that the story of her life will continue to be told to others.

Jessica’s sisters have moved away and have raised children of their own, and the family still tells stories about “Aunt Jessica,” but they’ll always miss Jessica’s smile, she said.

3. Investigators Interviewed 300 People In Connection With the Murder & Suspected a Serial Killer

A Family At Peace | Cold BloodJessica’s family discusses how they came to grips with the prison sentence. Watch COLD BLOOD Tuesdays @ 9pm | For more, visit http://investigation.discovery.com/tv/cold-blood/#mkcpgn=ytid1 – — True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery Add Hundreds of Crime Shows to Amazon Prime – Start Your 7-Day Free Trial Today! http://investigationdiscovery.com/TrueCrimeFiles2011-12-19T18:50:17Z

In the months after the murder, investigators interviewed 300 people and submitted over 100 DNA samples to the state database, but they failed to find a match or a suspect at the time. At one point, police were even considering serial killer Reinaldo Rivera as a suspect.

Rivera had been arrested just months after the murder and had operated in the area, and Carpenter matched his victim profile.

Rivera’s DNA failed to match what investigators had found at the scene, however.

4. Charlie Carpenter Sued Airborne Express Delivery After the Murder

Murder and life of Jessica Lynne Carpenter still remembered after 20 years #SC https://t.co/c6Zq5VJNyK

— Raymond E. Foster (@policeofficer) August 9, 2020

Investigators determined that Atkins had been working as a delivery driver for a company contracted to make deliveries for Airborne Express, leading him to meet Jessica Carpenter a few days before her murder.

Carpenter’s father, Charlie Carpenter, sued the delivery company in 2003. The lawsuit alleged that Seattle-based Airborne express Inc. and a subcontractor were negligent when they hired the man without a criminal background check and put the community in danger.

According to the lawsuit, Atkins saw Jessica Carpenter when he delivered a package to her home a few days before the murder. He later returned while wearing his delivery uniform. The lawsuit claims the company endangered the victim and others by not conducting a criminal background check on Atkins.

Prior to being hired, Atkin’s record included felony burglary, escape and weapons charges. A spokesperson at the time told Go Upstate that Airborne Express would not talk about the suit.

5. Robert Atkins is Serving Two Life Sentences

Jessica Carpenter’s Killer | Cold BloodDetectives detail the unbelievable actions of Jessica Carpenter’s killer. Watch COLD BLOOD Tuesdays @ 9pm | For more, visit http://investigation.discovery.com/tv/cold-blood/#mkcpgn=ytid1 – — True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery Add Hundreds of Crime Shows to Amazon Prime – Start Your 7-Day Free Trial Today! http://investigationdiscovery.com/TrueCrimeFiles2011-12-19T18:50:17Z

Atkins later led investigators to the murder weapon, which was a bloody knife wrapped in a T-shirt that was buried under a pile of brush, according to the Aiken Standard. The knife was located near U.S. Highway 1.

On May 23, 2006, WIS News reported that Atkins pleaded guilty to five charges including criminal sexual conduct in the first degree and murder. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

According to the report, Atkins apologized to the Carpenter family.

Atkins is currently being held in Perry County at the time of writing, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.  He is serving two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

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