Phillip Alexander Atkins

Case identification

Phillip Alexander Atkins was the appellant, and Jerry Hill was the appellee in Florida Supreme Court case 663 So. 2d 624, dated December 1, 1995.

Phillip Alexander Atkins was the petitioner in Florida Supreme Court case 622 So. 2d 951, dated May 27, 1993, against Harry K. Singletary.

Phillip Alexander Atkins was the petitioner in Florida Supreme Court case 541 So. 2d 1165, dated April 13, 1989, against Richard L. Dugger and other respondents.

Phillip Alexander Atkins was the appellant in Florida Supreme Court case 541 So. 2d 1165, dated April 13, 1989, against the State of Florida.

The case under docket #73910 was consolidated with the case under docket #73869.

Timeline

• April 13, 1989 — Florida Supreme Court proceeding: docket #73869 and docket #73910 were consolidated; 541 So. 2d 1165 is dated April 13, 1989.
• May 27, 1993 — Florida Supreme Court proceeding: 622 So. 2d 951 dated May 27, 1993.
• December 1, 1995 — Florida Supreme Court proceeding: 663 So. 2d 624 dated December 1, 1995.
• December 5, 1995 — Phillip Atkins was executed by electrocution in Florida.

The offence

Phillip Alexander Atkins was convicted for kidnapping, raping and beating a 6-year-old boy to death in 1981.

Atkins kidnapped Antonio Castillo from his Lakeland, Florida, home in 1981.

Atkins took Antonio Castillo to some nearby woods, where Atkins sexually molested him.

When the boy threatened to tell his parents, Atkins beat the child to death with his hands and a steel pipe.

Investigation / prosecution record (procedural matters)

Florida Supreme Court briefs and opinions were listed under multiple dockets, including:

• Florida Supreme Court briefs and opinions docket #86882: Phillip Alexander Atkins, Appellant, v. Jerry Hill, etc., Appellee; 663 So. 2d 624; December 1, 1995.
• Docket #80108: Phillip Alexander Atkins, Petitioner, vs. Harry K. Singletary, etc., Respondent; 622 So. 2d 951; May 27, 1993.
• Docket #73869: Phillip Alexander Atkins, Petitioner, vs. Richard L. Dugger, etc., Respondents; 541 So. 2d 1165; April 13, 1989.
• Docket #73910: Phillip Alexander Atkins, Appellant, vs. State of Florida, Appellee; 541 So. 2d 1165; April 13, 1989.

The dockets #73869 and #73910 were consolidated.

The docket information also listed procedural filings including “opinion initial brief of appellant,” “petition for extraordinary relief,” “response in opposition to petition,” “reply to petitioner,” “initial brief of appellant,” “brief of appellee,” and “reply brief of appellant.”

Arrest / trial / sentencing

No arrest date, trial details, sentencing court, or sentence terms were provided in the case record excerpt beyond the execution status.

Appeals

The case record excerpt listed multiple Florida Supreme Court proceedings under the dockets noted above, including filings connected to petitions for extraordinary relief and appellate briefing. The excerpt did not provide narrative descriptions of the grounds or rulings.

Outcome

Phillip Alexander Atkins died by electrocution in Florida on December 5, 1995.

Atkins had been convicted for kidnapping, raping and beating Antonio Castillo, a 6-year-old boy, to death in 1981.

Other details

Phillip Atkins was 40 at the time of his execution.

Antonio Castillo was 6 years old at the time of his death.

Prior to Atkins’s execution, Florida executed another inmate on Monday, Jerry White, 47, who was executed for the 1981 murder of a convenience store customer during a robbery; the excerpt stated that White shot the store owner, who was left paralyzed from his wounds.

Before he was executed, Atkins apologized to Castillo’s family, who were present, in a long and rambling statement.

Atkins stated: “ready to go on to the other side and meet the Lord, my master.”