- March 5, 2025
A man who killed his father in 2006 will not be allowed to return to Flagler County, a judge ruled on June 18.
Richard Dunn was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he stabbed his father, Jack Dunn, according to court documents.
Jack Dunn was found dead in his home in January 2006 with a knife protruding from his chest, forks sticking from his neck and groin, a key in his eye and a clock sitting on his stomach. Vitamins and raisins were scattered over Jack Dunn’s body as well as the surrounding area.
Richard Dunn was linked to the crime, but because he suffers from schizophrenia, rather than facing trial and prison time, he was committed to a state hospital for treatment. Last July, he was released under orders to live at Free Spirit Transitional Housing in Daytona Beach. Under the terms of his release, Richard Dunn was not allowed to enter Flagler County without permission of the court.
Dunn’s attorney filed in February a motion to modify the terms of Dunn’s release so that he would be able to return to the county and purchase a house. Dunn’s case workers reported that he was doing well under his medication, aside from an incident in May when Dunn admitted to hiring a prostitute. Around that time, Dunn was also suffering from sleeplessness and anxiety after his roommate died, so his dosage of medication was increased. Dunn’s attorney said he is now stable and should be allowed to return to Flagler County, where he feels at home.
Circuit Judge J. David Walsh denied that request Monday. He said: “The crime committed by the defendant, the murder of his father, here in this residential area, is not something that can easily be forgotten by the members of the community or the family members, but I do take note of the sensitivity here of all the problems."
In the end, Walsh said there was insufficient evidence that Richard Dunn would be safe to live in Flagler County since Dunn has only spent 11 months outside of the hospital and, prior to the murder, had a record of refusing to take his medication and then becoming violent.
Dunn’s brother, Robert Dunn, and his wife, Sally, sent a letter to the court requesting that Richard Dunn be kept from Flagler County. After Richard Dunn was released from the hospital, two families sold their homes and left for fear of his return, they said.
“Should not the perception of concerns of law-abiding residents supplant the capricious wants or wishes of this (should have been) convicted social miscreant?” the letter reads.
Robert Dunn said he hoped his brother would continue to improve, but that he did not want to take risks about the safety of the community, adding that he feared for his family and for his neighbors.
Lynore Camp, who was Jack Dunn’s caretaker at the time of his death, testified at Richard Dunn’s hearing Tuesday, echoing the statements of Robert and Sally Dunn. Richard Dunn lived with the father at the time of the slaying, and Camp said she would sometimes hear him speaking a “strange language” to an empty room and that he refused to take his medications.
She also said she’d seen him become aggressive, and that he’d hit neighbors who have since moved for fear of his return.
“That whole area is scared,” Camp said. “People are moving, leaving. If one man can put so much fear into so many people — there’s no reason for him to be here, really. His family is scared, the kids are scared. He says he wants to come back here, but there’s nothing for him to come back to.”
Walsh said he would be open to revisiting the motion at a later date, when, after Dunn spends more time outside of the hospital, his stability can be better assessed.
