Indy man gets 45 years for rape, murder of woman in their nursing home
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man was sentenced Thursday to 45 years in federal prison for the murder and rape of an 80-year-old woman in the nursing home where they both lived.
According to online court records, Dwayne Freeman, 61, received 45 years for the murder charge and 30 years for the rape charge of Patricia Newnum. Both charges will be served concurrently.
Freeman and Newnum both lived at Homestead Healthcare Center on Madison Avenue on the city’s south side, where Newnum was in hospice care.
A probable cause affidavit says that around 5 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2022, a nurse walked into Newnum’s room and found Freeman on top of Newnum with a pillow on her face. The nurse told police that Freeman was naked and Newnum was only wearing a shirt.
Nenum was pronounced deceased at 5:45 a.m. shortly after the officers’ arrival.
