The Indiana Court of Appeals last Tuesday, Aug. 18, upheld the Scott County convictions of Robert F. Petty for voluntary manslaughter, removal of body from scene, and obstruction of justice, according to Scott County Prosecutor Chris A. Owens. “This assures that Mr. Petty will serve his 56 year prison sentence originally ordered in this matter,” said Owens.
In 2013, Robert Petty was convicted and sentenced to prison for 56 years for killing Nina Keown and taking steps to attempt to cover up his crime, Owens related.
In 2019, Petty filed a motion in an attempt to have his conviction and sentence set aside under a process called Post-Conviction Relief. “However, in February 2020, our office successfully fought in Scott Circuit Court to make sure Petty’s conviction was secure and that he remain in prison to serve out his entire sentence,” said Owens. “(Tuesday), the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that the conviction will stand and that Mr. Petty will have to serve out the sentence as previously ordered.”
The matter was handled at the appellate court level by the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. “Deputy Attorney General, Evan Comer did an excellent job fighting to uphold the work of the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Unfortunately, cases like this never seem to go away,” said Owens. “It has been several long years, but I hope that the decision by the Indiana Court of Appeals affirming our work here in Scott County finally brings some closure for Nina’s family and friends.”
