Man convicted of killing Nevada couple, storing ‘mummified’ remains dies in prison

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The man convicted and serving a sentence of up to life for the murders of a Nevada couple died in a state prison last week.

The Nevada Department of Corrections said Robert Dunn, 63, was pronounced dead at Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City on Feb. 5.

An autopsy was requested and Dunn’s family was notified, according to a press release. No other details were disclosed.

Dunn was convicted of the murders of Joaquin and Eleanor Sierra. Authorities said that in 2013, the Sierras’ bodies were found in trash cans in a Las Vegas storage unit as federal officials investigated their social security benefits.

A medical examiner told a grand jury that both Sierras had ingested a sedative and showed signs of sharp force injury, but the coroner’s office couldn’t make official rulings on the causes of their deaths because of the state of their “mummified” remains.

Investigators believed Dunn befriended the couple and killed them in 2003 to cash their retirement benefits over multiple years.

Prosecutors at one point sought the death penalty for Dunn, accusing him of being a con man with possible victims in other states.

Dunn reached an Alford plea with prosecutors last year, meaning he did not admit to any guilt but acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict him at trial. He was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison.