GAINESVILLE — A Wilkes County man will spend life in prison for the August 2014 murder of a homeless man in Gainesville.
David Keener, 51, was convicted Wednesday in Hall County Superior Court in the felony murder of Randall Huling. Both men were part of Gainesville's homeless community.
Tim Hill was foreman of the jury that heard the case, and he said it only took a couple of hours for the jury to decide Keener was guilty.
"The Assistant District Attorney Ms. [Juliet] Aldridge put on a very good, fact-based case that allowed us to reach this decision," said Hill, following the return of the guilty verdict.
According to court documents, Keener was found guilty on charges of felony murder, aggravated battery and aggravated assault in the Huling case. He also was found guilty last week in a separate case involving the assault of another homeless man in Gainesville.
Judge Andrew Fuller sentenced Keener to life in prison for the crime.
