A man who gouged out his own eyes and bit off part of his tongue after stabbing a stranger during a carjacking has been found guilty of murder, among other charges.
Robert Keller, 32, was in court last week and was found guilty on four counts of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a felony.
The jury was out for just over an hour before returning its verdict, convicting Keller of stabbing Bruce Dupree to death on a Georgia highway in 2024.
Before he was sentenced, Keller made a bizarre statement to the judge, claiming to be a "divine being" and stating that he was not in the right setting to tell the truth.
Keller claimed that he hurt himself in order to "cover his ass" and be placed in a medical facility, but neither the jury nor the judge bought his argument.
In sentencing Keller, Judge Matthew Hube expressed disappointment and frustration, stating that Keller represented "the worst of us" on the day of the crime.
Hube sentenced Keller to two consecutive life sentences with no parole, as well as 25 years and 20 years on top of that.
The crime took place on October 14, 2024, when the victim, Bruce William Dupree, 43, stopped on the side of the I-16 in Bulloch County, Georgia, to give Keller a ride.
Keller, who was under the influence of drugs at the time, attacked Dupree, slashing his throat and dragging his body into the center median of the highway, where he left him to die.
A driver called 911 after seeing Dupree bloodied and yelling for help at the side of the road, and police tracked down Keller in Dupree's stolen car, arresting him at a motel in Register, Georgia.
