Indianapolis man pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the murder and rape of an 80-year-old.
61-year-old Dwayne Freeman gets a 45-year sentence (Source: AP News).
Man in Indianapolis nursing home pleads guilty
A 61-year-old individual residing in an Indianapolis nursing home was given a 45-year prison sentence on Thursday. The conviction was for the crime of killing and sexually assaulting an 80-year-old bedridden individual in the previous year.
Dwayne Freeman, 61, received his sentencing after pleading guilty on June 8 for the offenses committed against Patricia Newnum, 80, both residents of a shared nursing home.
A judge imposed a 45-year prison term on Freeman for the charge of murder, along with a 30-year term for the rape charge.
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Homestead Healthcare Center (Source: IndyStar).
Freeman charged with rape and murder
On the morning of February 2, 2022, an employee at Homestead Healthcare Center entered Newnum’s room to administer medication. The employee then discovered Freeman naked and lying on top of Newnum, with a pillow covering her face, according to court records.
Freeman acknowledged engaging in sexual activity with Newnum but claimed it was consensual. However, the reasons behind Freeman’s residency in the nursing home remain unclear, according to Fox News.
In response to the tragedy, Newnum’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Homestead, which is owned by Adams County Memorial Hospital, a small facility in northeast Indiana.
The lawsuit alleges that the woman’s death was an “inevitable result” of inadequate staffing and unfavorable conditions at the facility, according to AP News.
