Justice for Vicki Lynne – Part 5

Carie, Vicki & I, 1979

Phoenix

Monday, November 4th, 2013 we will return to Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix, AZ for the last part of the Evidentiary Hearing in the case of Arizona vs. Frank Atwood.

It seems somewhat ironic that the final hearing will take place in the city that convicted Atwood 27 years ago of the kidnapping and murder of my eight year old sister, Vicki Lynne.

I remember the courtroom in 1987, I was 13 when I testified just a few feet from Atwood that I found my sisters bike laying in the middle of the street that fateful day in September of 1984. And I clearly remember the day the jury handed down the guilty verdict.

I have often wondered what happened to the jury that sat through three months of his trial, how did it affect or change their lives? Do they follow the case still? Do they know the man they found guilty in May of 1987 is still fighting?

Atwood was unable to have his conviction overturned when he claimed that multiple law enforcement agencies conspired to frame him for the kidnapping and murder of my sister by planting the paint from Vicki’s bike on the bumper of his car. This claim was ludicriuos but all of his claims have been.

Since his conviction has been upheld, and his parents have passed, he has moved onto claiming he suffered from PTSD at the time he murdered Vicki Lynne and that all of his attorneys did not affectively represent him, in an attempt to save his own life.

We are fighting him to save his life… a twisted oxy moron.

In 29 years, I’ve grown, gotten married, had children and lead a happy, productive life in spite of what was taken away from me that September day. I’ve lived each day without Vicki Lynne here, and there isn’t one that goes by that I don’t wonder who she would have been today. Would she have gotten married and had two boys since I had two girls? Would she have been a teacher? A doctor? A veterinarian? Or traveled the world?

I know that Atwood has spent the years since September of 1984 exactly where he needs to be. He has been unable to hurt or harm any more children, and that it’s time for this to be done.

We will attend the hearing on Monday, and wait for the Honorable John Coughenour to make his ruling sometime in the month(s) following. We are very optimistic that we will be one step closer to the execution of Frank Atwood, a child murdering pedophile.