HORRIFYING

Man Rapes and Murders 80-Year-Old Woman in Nursing Home, Cops Say

Nursing home staff said they found Dwayne Freeman on top of Patricia Newnum, holding a pillow over her face.

A 60-year-old man living in an Indianapolis nursing home allegedly raped and suffocated one of his fellow residents last week after telling staff he was “going to get me a woman tonight.” Dwayne Freeman, 60, was found on top of a dead Patricia Newnum, 80, just after 5 a.m. on Feb. 2. He was allegedly holding a pillow over her face. He was charged with murder and rape Tuesday. A staff member from Homestead Healthcare Center told police they discovered Newnum after coming to her room to administer medication. Freeman’s motorized wheelchair was also there, as was a bottle of liquor on the floor. When another staff member went to Freeman’s room to retrieve the bottle from the trash, they told police, “Freeman became agitated and got out of bed naked and threw a light against the wall.”