The finding came after two psychologists evaluated Robert Brandon Keller in a case tied to the 2024 death of Bruce Dupree.
STATESBORO, Ga. — A Superior Court judge in Bulloch County has found murder defendant Robert Brandon Keller competent to stand trial, ruling that shocking acts of self-harm in jail did not prevent him from understanding the court case or assisting in his defense.
The decision keeps a closely watched homicide prosecution moving forward more than a year after Bruce Dupree was found fatally wounded beside Interstate 16. Keller, 32, is accused of killing Dupree, 43, and stealing his vehicle and cell phone. The case drew renewed attention after reports that Keller removed both of his eyes and bit off part of his tongue while in custody. But the judge’s order focused on a narrower issue: whether Keller is fit now to stand trial, not whether his conduct was shocking or whether he was criminally responsible at the time of the killing.
According to investigators and court summaries published by local and national outlets, the underlying homicide began with what first appeared to be an interstate crash. A 911 alert brought law enforcement to I-16 in Bulloch County on Oct. 14, 2024. There, officers found Dupree injured on the roadside. Medical aid was provided by deputies, state troopers and emergency crews, but Dupree later died. Investigators soon concluded the wounds were not those of a traffic accident. In later testimony, an investigator said Dupree had been stabbed in the head and neck and had defensive wounds on his hands. Authorities also found blood on both sides of the median. As the investigation widened, officers were led to a nearby store and motel area where Keller was eventually found and arrested after a short chase. A store worker had earlier reported seeing a man with blood on his hands and on the money he used to make a purchase.
Prosecutors later laid out a broad set of charges. In December 2024, a grand jury indicted Keller on malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. The charging document alleges Dupree was cut or stabbed with a knife or other sharp object, and that his vehicle and phone were taken by force. That indictment set the case on a normal path toward trial, but questions about Keller’s mental condition slowed the process. Defense lawyers sought evaluations of both criminal responsibility and competency. During the months that followed, Keller remained in the Bulloch County Jail, where later court records said he committed acts of extreme self-harm. Public coverage also described a separate jail case involving allegations that he resisted or attacked jail staff and damaged property. Those claims remain distinct from the homicide case, but they helped shape the legal fight over his mental fitness.
The decisive hearing took place Jan. 27. Judge Matthew K. Hube later entered an order dated Feb. 10 that relied on testimony from two licensed state psychologists, Dr. Jeremy Gay and Dr. Daniel Fass. Gay addressed criminal responsibility and concluded that Keller was not suffering from a delusional compulsion at the time of the alleged offense and could tell right from wrong. Fass addressed present competency and found Keller able to stand trial. In reporting on the hearing, Fass was described as saying Keller did not show symptoms of severe persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder during his evaluation and may have acted from guilt or shame. The order also recounted testimony from jailers who said Keller told them he was not mentally ill and had said he claimed to hear voices “to cover his ass.” The judge added his own courtroom observation that Keller appeared to listen and communicate appropriately with counsel.
That distinction between competency and criminal responsibility is central to understanding why the case did not end with the self-harm reports. Competency asks whether a defendant understands the nature of the proceedings and can help a lawyer. Criminal responsibility asks what the defendant’s mental state was when the crime occurred. One looks at the present, the other at the past. In Keller’s case, both experts said the self-harm happened after the killing and therefore did not decide what his mental state was at the time Dupree was attacked. The court accepted that reasoning. The result was a ruling that can seem surprising outside the courtroom but follows a legal standard that is narrower than public debate often assumes. The order did not excuse the alleged conduct, and it did not resolve guilt. It answered only whether the trial can proceed.
The broader context has kept the case anchored in the death of Dupree, not only in the later courtroom drama. Dupree was identified in local reporting as a resident of Metter in neighboring Candler County. His obituary described a man who volunteered at an animal shelter, loved animals and enjoyed tending roses. Those details stand far from the stark language of the indictment, which says his car and phone were taken after he was fatally attacked. The contrast has given the case emotional weight in southeast Georgia, where homicide prosecutions are often followed closely by nearby communities. It has also made the coming trial important beyond the legal novelty of the competency ruling. A jury, not the competency court, will eventually be asked to decide what happened on the interstate and whether prosecutors can prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
What comes next is more routine but still significant. Keller remains charged, and the case stays in the pretrial stage until the court sets further hearings and a trial date. No public trial date had been reported after the competency order. Prosecutors can continue preparing witnesses, forensic evidence and the narrative they plan to present to jurors. Defense lawyers may still file additional motions, including efforts to limit evidence or revisit mental health issues if new information emerges. But as of the Feb. 10 order, the court’s position is clear: Keller is fit to face the proceedings ahead. That ruling removes one major uncertainty while leaving the biggest question unanswered, which is whether the state can prove he killed Dupree and committed the related felonies alleged in the indictment.
For now, the legal focus has shifted from whether Keller can be tried to when that trial will begin and how the state and defense will present a case already marked by violence, unusual jail conduct and a judge’s firm finding on competency.
Author note: Last updated March 24, 2026.