Nursing home resident gets 45 years for murder and rape of 80-year-old invalid

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A 61-year-old Indianapolis nursing home resident has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the murder and rape of an 80-year-old invalid last year. Dwayne Freeman learned his sentence Thursday after pleading guilty June 8 for the crimes against Patricia Newnum at the nursing home where they both lived. A judge sentenced Freeman to 45 years on the murder charge and 30 years on the rape charge, with the terms to be served concurrently. Court documents say an employee at Homestead Healthcare Center entered Newnum’s room on Feb. 2, 2022, and saw Freeman naked on top of Newnum while holding a pillow over her face.