A New Castle resident who fatally stabbed a man he shared a home with is sentenced to 45 years in prison. Robert E. Lee Dunn, 52, pleaded guilty, but mentally ill, to murder. He had been accused of killing his longtime friend, 63-year-old Barry G. Keith, in their Ross Street home on Dec. 8, 2018.The 45-year sentence imposed by Henry Circuit Court 2 Judge Kit Crane was specified in the terms of a plea agreement.Deputy Prosecutor Richard Culver told the judge that family members of the victim, who was a retired New Castle firefighter, were in favor of the plea deal.Defense attorney David Sadler said he and Dunn had been preparing for a murder trial, with plans for an insanity defense, when his client decided “to change the course.”Since soon after his arrest, Dunn has awaited resolution of his case while being held in a state prison rather than the Henry County jail.
