No charges filed in death of Robert Adkins - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

A teenage boy is looking for closure after his father died back in March 2012. Robert Adkins died days after being punched outside of a South Charleston bar. 

But it turns out the person police say threw the punch will not face charges. 

"This guy did take a huge chunk out of my life with my dad," said Robert Adkins' 14 year old son Matthew. "It turned out that they called it just an accident and said that it was justified." 

Hours before his dad died at a local hospital, Matthew asked his mom Aimee Figgatt to snap a picture of his final goodbye, in hopes of showing it to a jury one day. But he won't be getting that chance. 

In a letter sent to Figgatt, who is Robert's ex wife, Kanawha County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Dan Holstein said there isn't enough evidence to prove that the man who told South Charleston detectives he punched Robert, broke the law. The letter says there isn't enough evidence to prove the man was not legally justified in doing so. 

According to the police report, witnesses said Robert Adkins' had been making advances toward the girlfriend of the man who punched him. 

"They were already in two different areas of the sidewalk so there was no sense," Figgatt said. "She was not in danger there was no reason for the hit." 

A West Virginia State Medical Examiner's report found Adkins died as a result of the punch and ruled his death a homicide. The incident happened several days prior to Robert Adkins' death. 

"I'm shocked. I've seen lesser crimes presented to the grand jury. The punch was not accidental so therefore there needs to be some accountability," Figgatt said. "Our family just wants a chance to go before a grand jury and let them decide if this is a punishable case or not."