A Metter man was identified as the victim in a homicide Monday night where his body was found in the median area of Interstate 16 in Bulloch County and the accused killer was arrested a few miles away outside a motel.

Capt. Todd Hutchens with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office said during a Thursday press conference that 40-year-old Bruce William Dupree died as the result of “multiple puncture wounds to his torso” that were caused by a knife or a sharp object of some kind.

Hutchens said Robert Brandon Lewis Keller, 31, who has been in custody since Monday night, is charged with murder, malice murder, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, aggravated battery, aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of certain felonies.

Hutchens said they are still trying to determine Keller’s last known physical address.

“We know he is from North Carolina, but we’re still tracking down exactly where,” Hutchens said. “Also, we don’t know why, at this point, Keller was in the area.”

The incident began evolving about 8:30 p.m. Monday when Hutchens said the Sheriff’s Office received several “crash alerts” on I-16.

“However, upon arrival out there, we never were able to find an actual accident,” he said. “We had folks riding up and down both eastbound and westbound on I-16 and nobody could find a vehicle.”

But deputies did find a person laying in the median area of I-16 around Mile Marker 113, Hutchens said. The unidentified man, at the time, was tended to by EMS, but died at the scene. 

“After finding Mr. Dupree, we began to search the area, trying to find out exactly what may have happened. What caused the crash alert that come in through the 911 Center.”

As that search was going on, Hutchens said they received information that ultimately led to the apprehension of Keller.

“A clerk at the Pojo’s truck stop on Highway 301 South said a person came in there and purchased a drink or some other stuff and had blood on his hands and there was blood on the cash he paid with, which was rather alarming to the clerk. 

“We responded there and found a Kia passenger vehicle north of Pojo's on the side of the road.”

Hutchens said the vehicle registration came back to a relative of Mr. Dupree. 

Then, a clerk at the Patriot Inn called in and said “a strange guy who matched the description of the man given by the Pojo’s clerk, was walking around the motel area.

“So, deputies were in that vicinity checking the Travel America out there on 301. They went across the street to check on the Patriot Inn and saw Mr. Keller run from the Patriot Inn out to the highway. He was apprehended on the other side of 301 from Patriot Inn.”

Hutchens said Keller was not staying at the Patriot Inn, which is located just south of the I-16 East Statesboro exit onto Highway 301 South.

After he refused to tell deputies his name, a Rapid ID device was used at the scene where Keller’s thumbprint was taken and entered into the device.

“If anyone has been fingerprinted by law enforcement, you’ll get a hit,” Hutchens said. “Keller had been arrested before, so we got him.”

Hutchens said investigators are unsure why Keller came into contact with Dupree.

“There’s some kind of affiliation there. The crime was not random,” Hutchens said. “We kind of feel that maybe Mr. Dupree was trying to give this person a ride from some location or had some other encounter with him, but we're just not sure about that yet.”

Keller remains in custody at the Bulloch County Jail. 

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about the incident is requested to call Investigator William Sims at (912) 764-1767.