Man ruled competent to stand trial after removing both of his own eyes and biting off part of his tongue
Background: The Bulloch County Jail building in Statesboro, Ga. (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Robert Brandon Keller before he removed his eyeballs and after (Bulloch County Sheriff's Office).
A Georgia man accused of killing a 43-year-old man has been ruled competent to stand trial, even after seriously injuring himself while in custody.
Robert Brandon Keller, 32, is charged in connection with the death of Bruce Dupree, whose body was discovered along an interstate in Bulloch County on Oct. 14, 2024. According to reporting at the time by the Statesboro Herald, Dupree had suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead shortly after he was found.
Investigators said Keller was identified and arrested after an employee at Pojo’s reported that he had blood on his hands and on the cash he used to pay. Keller was subsequently booked into the Bulloch County Jail on charges including two counts of murder, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony. He was denied bond multiple times as the case moved forward.
Court documents obtained by Law&Crime state that while in custody, Keller inflicted severe injuries on himself, prompting the court to order a competency evaluation.
Two psychologists, Jeremy Gay and Daniel Fass, interviewed Keller to assess both his mental state at the time of the alleged crime and his ability to stand trial.
Both doctors concluded that Keller is competent to proceed. They noted that his self-harming behavior occurred after the alleged offenses. Dr. Gay determined that Keller was not experiencing a delusional compulsion at the time of the crime and was able to distinguish right from wrong. Dr. Fass reported that during an April 2025 evaluation, Keller did not exhibit symptoms consistent with a severe, persistent mental illness such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. He also stated that Keller’s intellectual functioning and ability to respond to questions were stronger than many other defendants he has evaluated.
According to the court filings, two jailers testified during a Jan. 27 competency hearing that Keller told them he was not mentally ill and had claimed to hear voices in an attempt to protect himself.
An order filed on Feb. 10 formally declared Keller competent to stand trial. A trial date has not yet been set.
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