Frank Jarvis Atwood

Personal Information

 * Arizona State Inmate #062887
 * Gender: Male
 * Ethnicity: Caucasian
 * Date of Birth: January 29, 1956
 * A.K.A. Anthony Cranston

Case Information

 * Pima County Superior Court Case #CR14065 & CR15397
 * Date of Offense: September 17, 1984
 * Victim: Vicki Lynn Hoskinson, Age 8 Female

Criminal History Before Offense

 * Convicted in 1974 of lewd & lascivious conduct on a 14 year old girl.
 * Convicted in 1981 of kidnapping and lewd & lascivious acts on an 8 year old boy. Paroled in May 1984.

Crime Description

 * The victim, Vicki Lynn Hoskinson, was riding her bike after school when she was kidnapped and murdered by Atwood. After leaving her body in the desert, Atwood fled to Texas, where he was caught and extradited to Arizona.  The victim's body was not discovered until April 1985.

Trial

 * Judge:: John Hawkins
 * Prosecutor: John Davis
 * Defense Attorney: Stanton Bloom


 * Atwood went to trial on January 19, 1987, and was convicted by a jury of First Degree Murder and Kidnapping on March 26, 1987. Total trial length was 66 days.  On May 8, 1987, he received a sentence of death for the First Degree Murder charge, and 25-To-Life for the Kidnapping charge.

Post Conviction Information

 * In 1992, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the conviction on appeal.


 * Atwood married Rachel Lee Tenny, 29, on Dec. 17, 1991.

External Links and References

 * AZ Department of Corrections Inmate Sheet
 * AZ Department of Corrections Death Row Information
 * AZ Supreme Court Sentencing Case Guidelines
 * Tucson Weekly: "Justice Delayed", May 4, 2004