Robert Brandon Keller appeared in Bulloch County Superior Court Monday morning before Judge Matthew Hube to stand trial for murder charges in the death of Bruce Dupree. The day began with the removal of a juror and opening statements during which defense counsel laid the groundwork for an alternative story line in contrast to what prosecutors allege happened back in October 2024.
Investigators allege Keller stabbed Dupree before cutting his throat after an altercation in a vehicle driven by Dupree. Keller then took Dupree’s vehicle and cell phone before he was arrested. Keller is facing ten felony charges including:
- Malice Murder
- Felony Murder
- Aggravated Assault
- Felony Murder
- Aggravated Battery
- Felony Murder
- Armed Robbery
- Felony Murder
- Hijacking a Motor Vehicle
- Possession of a Knife During Commission of a Felony
Acting District Attorney Jillian Gibson and Assistant District Attorney Renorda Herring are prosecuting the case. Keller is represented by Que’andra Campell and Renatta Newbill-Jallow of the Public Defender’s Office.
Juror Excused Before Commencement of Trial
While addressing preliminary matters Monday morning, attorneys consulted with Judge Hube on whether or not one of the jurors should be seated.
Acting DA Jillian Gibson had disclosed after jury selection that one of the selected jurors is the mother of children who attend the same school as her own children. Defense attorneys asked the juror to be brought in for additional questioning.
Defense attorneys questioned the juror on her knowledge of Gibson and whether or not she could be impartial. The juror told attorneys that she ‘thought she recognized’ Gibson during jury selection, but wasn’t sure if it was her, as she looked different outside of court. She shared that their interactions had been limited to a few children’s birthday parties and similar events and that they had not ever discussed any work related matters.
Newbill-Jallow argued that even though the juror said she could be fair and impartial, the defense would have stricken her during jury selection if she had disclosed she knew Gibson.
Judge Hube said that out of an abundance of caution and because the defense would have stricken the juror had she disclosed during jury selection that she knew the acting DA, he would replace the juror with one alternate. The juror was subsequently excused.
Opening Statements
Acting DA Jillian Gibson told jurors what they could expect to hear over the next few days, including details of 911 calls and the investigation, statements made by Keller during interviews, and specifics from the medical examiner.
Gibson said that Dupree traveled to Hilton Head to drop his significant other off at work and traveled back when he picked up Keller along the roadside. She revealed that the evidence would show that Keller fled the scene in Dupree’s vehicle, purchased a coke with bloody money at a gas station off the interstate, climbed a radio tower while high, attempted to discard and destroy evidence, and needed several days to come down from his high before he could truly be interviewed by investigators. Gibson also stated that DNA evidence would be presented, showing Kellar’s DNA on swabs from the vehicle and Dupree’s DNA on Keller’s shorts.
While the state would not be able to explain to a jury ‘why’ this happened, she said they’d be left with no doubt that Kellar did, in fact, kill Dupree.
Contrarily, attorney Campbell painted a different picture of Keller, describing him as a son, brother, and father of three who is “imperfect and struggled with addiction.” She said, however, that he is not defined by his lowest point or his worst days.
She told jurors that in September 2024, Keller left North Carolina to travel on a ‘spiritual journey’ to Florida. He arrived in Pooler and posted a sign that said “I will work for food and coffee.” A farmer picked him up and took him to a farm where he pitched a tent and worked. He was attending AA and had been sober for six months when he relapsed. Disappointed with himself, Campbell said he packed his things and began walking on I-16 to Florida to visit a community he’d previously visited to reach sobriety. That’s the day Dupree picked Keller up on the roadside.
But Campbell also told jurors they would see the state could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. She contended that someone else was in the car with Dupree when Keller was picked up on the roadside and that Keller, who she agreed was high on drugs, was injured in the altercation that took place between Dupree and another individual.
Campbell told jurors that Keller deserves a fair trial and that the state wants the jury to find Keller guilty because the Dupree family lost someone. But at the conclusion of the trial, she said, the evidence would show Keller is not guilty of the crimes as alleged.
