To walk out of this nightmare and hug my mother and sister after almost four decades, knowing I was innocent is bittersweet. No other physical evidence linked DuBoise to the crime. Under Floridas current compensation law, DuBoise is not eligible to receive any compensation for the 37 years he was in prison because, when he was a teenager, he was previously convicted of minor offenses related to the possession of a stolen bike, and entering a vacant home that was unlocked. In August 2006, DuBoise filed a motion for post-conviction DNA testing. Twitter:@PeterSchorschFL DuBoise was greeted outside the prison by his mother, Myra, his sister, Harriet, and Innocence Project lawyer, Susan Friedman. 2. Prior to his conviction, he was transported to Hillsborough County Jail where a jailhouse informant interacted with him and later falsely testified DuBoise had confessed to the crime during his time there. The Crime On August 19, 1983, a young woman's body was found behind a dental office in Tampa, Florida. I am grateful to the Conviction Review Unit for their partnership on this case and look forward to collaborating on re-examining other bite mark cases to identify other wrongful convictions that resulted from the use of this highly unreliable evidence. said Susan Friedman, DuBoises Innocence Project attorney. Burke and John Counsman and Sergeant R.H. Price.. In brief remarks during the hearing, DuBoise, who was 18 at the time of the crime, said he had a lot of roadblocks thrown in my path. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. In 2018, the Innocence Project began to review DuBoises case. The judge denied DuBoises request to test the other biological evidence, finding that because the States theory was that DuBoise committed this crime with others, excluding him from the evidence would not be sufficient to prove his innocence. DuBoise was resentenced to life for the murder and 15 years for the attempted sexual battery to run consecutively. I never lost faith that today would come. Convicted of murder and sentenced to death, his sentence was reduced in 1988 to life in prison until his exoneration and release last year. The Medical Examiner also identified what was thought to be a human bite-mark on the victims cheek. He was just 18 years old. Death Penalty Information Center | 1701 K Street NW Suite 205 Washington, DC 20006, Phone: 202-289-2275 | Email: [emailprotected], Privacy Policy | 2023 Death Penalty Information Center, Innocence Project Client Robert DuBoise Released After Nearly. Florida remains the only state to disqualify exonerees from compensation if they were formerly convicted of unrelated felony offenses. Right; Robert outside his home in Tampa, Florida, in October 2020. He was arrested around 5:00 a.m., and, after he started screaming and kicking, he was restrained by ropes and handcuffs and sedated with a tranquilizer called Haldol. The Conviction Review Unit will continue to work with the court to finish exonerating DuBoise,Hall said in a phone interview with Oxygen.com. At the time, the inmate, who was facing a life sentence, claimed hed received no promises in exchange for testimony. Innocence Project Client Robert DuBoise Re (August 27, 2020 Tampa, Florida) Today. Another leading factor in wrongful convictions nationally is jailhouse informant testimony, playing a role in 17 percent of the 375 DNA-based exoneration cases. Theres no question I feel terrible, he said. We knew that Roberts conviction rested on two leading causes of wrongful convictions jailhouse informant testimony and faulty forensicsand today, there is indisputable scientific evidence that proves his innocence. A Florida trial court has freed a former death-row prisoner after local prosecutors said new DNA evidence had proven his innocence of the rape and murder for which he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death 37 years ago. Robert E Dubois has a BuildZoom score of 90, which places them above 47% of 191,428 contractors in Florida. Susan Friedman, the Innocence Project lawyer representing DuBoise, said he maintained his innocence on Death Row and often in solitary confinement in six Florida prisons. Email: [emailprotected] He has always maintained his innocence, but any hope of reversing his conviction seemed to evaporate in 1990 when the evidence from his trial was destroyed as part of a routine procedure. The Innocence Project is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. DuBoise appealed his case in 2006, hoping to prove his innocence with DNA evidence that couldn't be properly processed in the '80s. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. The basis for the claims are deprivation of due process, illegal detention and prosecution, and conspiracy to deprive constitutional rights, among other things. Florida is the only state that disqualifies exonerees from being compensated if they were convicted of unrelated crimes. provided cannot be used for any unlawful purpose. Website by MADEO. DuBoise was released after new DNA testing of the crime scene evidence that was thought to have been destroyed excluded him as the assailant. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Ms. Friedman said that she along with Mr. DuBoises mother and sister planned to meet Mr. DuBoise after he is released from prison on Thursday. trial court has freed a former death-row prisoner after local prosecutors said new DNA evidence had proven his innocence of the rape and murder for which he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death 37 years ago. DuBoise was found guilty and initially sentenced to death, according to the documents. On August 19, 1983, a young womans body was found behind a dental office in Tampa, Florida. After 37 years in prison for wrongful conviction, Robert DuBoise completes path to freedom at Buccaneers-Rams game. After 37 years of being incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, Robert DuBoise was expected to be released from prison on Thursday, according to a press release from Hillsborough State. All of the other physical evidence excluded DuBoise and there were no eyewitnesses that placed him near the crime scene. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. The Innocence Project also discovered significant inconsistencies in the jailhouse informants testimony, and his sentence was reduced after he cooperated with investigators, Mr. Warrens office said. Copyright 2023 LocatePeople.org. Jailhouse informant testimony plays a leading role in 17% of the 375 DNA-based exoneration cases. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Robert A. Dubois of Port Charlotte, Florida, who passed away on June 6, 2022, at the age of 80, leaving to mourn family and friends. At his trial, in 1985, prosecutors said that Mr. DuBoise, his brother and a friend had been driving in Tampa when they saw Ms. Grams walking down the street, abducted her and raped and killed her. Mr. DuBoises father died while he was incarcerated, she said. Case Summary. DuBoise, 55, was convicted in the 1983 murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams, who was raped and beaten while walking home from her job at a Tampa mall. It was DuBoises trial prosecutor who filed a Motion to Mitigate the jailhouse informants sentence citing his total cooperation with the State in DuBoises trial. On Sept. 11, 2020, the State filed its response asking that the Court find DuBoise innocent of the charges against him and to signify the Courts ruling as an exoneration of Mr. Robert DuBoise. The CRU also issued a Summary Fact Finding Report that stated that if Mr. DuBoise would be retried today, there would be clear and convincing evidence that he is innocent of the charges against him.. Fraud Alert:We have heard that there are people who fraudulently represent themselves as working for the Innocence Project of Florida, promising legal representation in exchange for money. The only physical evidence implicating Mr DuBoise was fabricated bitemark evidence that supposedly matched Mr DuBoise to an injury on the victims body. Wrongful convictions tear at the very foundation of our system and everything that prosecutors stand for: public safety, fairness and justice. There are really true-hearted people in these offices now, he said. The family of the victim deserves to have the truth, as painful as it may be. 2. Today, it has finally succeeded.. A Florida man exonerated of a 1983 rape and murder after serving 37 years in prison is suing over his wrongful conviction in which a disproven bite mark was crucial evidence. Robert DuBoise was convicted of the 1983 killing of Barbara Grams after a forensic dentist testified regarding a faulty beeswax mold. The Innocence Project of Florida served as local counsel on the case. Robert Michael Dubois, 45. The promise or expectation of receiving leniency or other benefits for their testimony creates a strong incentive for these witnesses to lie. He was released from prison last month. Dr. Richard Souviron, a forensic odontologist, advised detectives to obtain bite mark impressions from potential suspects. He concluded that the original bite mark conclusions are unsupported by science and, most critically, found that although three experts at trial concluded that the mark on the victims cheek was a bite mark, the injury in this case was in fact not a bite mark. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Detectives sought out the opinion of a second odontologist, Dr. Richard Souviron, who advised police to start collecting bite mark impressions from potential suspects. DuBoise was re-sentenced to life for the murder and 15 years for the attempted sexual battery to run consecutively. Refine Your Search Results. Supporters of DuBoise have requested $1.85m in compensation from the state legislature, but that bill has gone nowhere. Keep up the good work Innocence Project! During the detectives canvas, DuBoise was identified as a person of interest after a local resident told police that he caused problems at their regular hangout. Robert Dubois in Florida. 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He always believed that the truth would come to light., DNA Evidence Exonerates Man in 1983 Rape and Killing, Prosecutors Say, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/26/us/robert-duboise-wrongful-conviction.html. I am Australian and want you to know that that there are others around the world that care about people such as yourself and support the Innocence Project and the work they do. For decades, forensic odontologists testified that they could identify the source of a bite mark. The Innocence Project of Florida provides all legal representation for free. Dan Sullivan, After 37years, hes free. At DuBoises trial, the jailhouse informant explained that he was testifying for two reasons: (1) he did not condone forcing a woman to do anything; and (2) he did not want Robert to take the whole blame for the crime. Activity Our building permit records indicate that Robert E Dubois has worked on at least 35 projects over the past 3 years. Now the world knows DNA proves I did not commit this crime. Robert DuBoise A man in Florida who was exonerated after spending 37 years in prison for a 1983 rape and murder filed a lawsuit against police officials and the forensic dentist who testified against him, claiming they "knowingly fabricated" evidence used to convict him. During the reinvestigation, Dr. Adam Freeman, a forensic odontologist, reviewed the bite mark evidence and testimony in this case. The states theory at trial was that on Aug. 18, 1983, DuBoise, his brother Victor DuBoise and friend Raymond Garcia sexually assaulted and killed a 19-year-old woman, though only DuBoise was arrested and prosecuted for these crimes. The informant had several criminal charges pending, including kidnapping, armed robbery and battery on a law enforcement officer. Robert DuBoise, 56, was freed from prison in August 2020 after long-shelved, untested DNA evidence from a rape kit proved he was innocent of the slaying of 19-year-old Barbara Grams in Tampa.. DuBoise is represented by the Innocence Project, who worked collaboratively with the Conviction Review Unit at the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa. Phone: (727) 642-3162 He denied receiving any benefit in exchange for his testimony. And a dental expert cited by the Innocence Project found that the injury on Ms. Gramss cheek was not a bite mark at all, Mr. Warren said. The Innocence Project began investigating DuBoises case in 2018 due to both the unreliable informant testimony and flawed bite mark analysis on which the case rested. Souviron, whose practice is in Coral Gables, Florida, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment on the DuBoise case on Saturday. Chris Bumbaca. Warren, the chief prosecutor, said his office was undertaking a review with the Innocence Project of cases in the Tampa area in which convictions relied heavily on now-discredited bite mark evidence. Robert DuBoise, 56, was freed in August last year after long-shelved untested DNA evidence from a rape kit proved he was innocent of the rape and murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams in Tampa. His sentence was reduced in 1988 to life in prison until his exoneration and release last year. A few weeks later on September 14, 2020, the court vacated his wrongful convictions and the State dropped the charges against Robert DuBoise in a virtual hearing, exonerating him after 37 years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. (Page 4) In fact, the original prosecutions case rested rested primarily on two pieces of evidence:the testimony of a fellow inmate, and a woundon the woman's cheek that a dental expert identified as a bite mark from DuBoise's teeth, according to court documentsobtained by Oxygen.com. Wrongful convictions are contrary to the very fiber of our system, Warren said at a news conference following the courts action. DuBoise has been deprived of all the basic pleasures of human experience, which all free people enjoy as a matter of right., Republished with permission of The Associated Press. All Filters. That process has since been abolished, Kamm said. Far right Republicans wanted him executed years ago. The Innocence Project is advocating for legislation to remove this provision. Lived In . The American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) has revised its standards and guidelines, and now explicitly states that an ABFO Diplomate shall not express conclusions unconditionally linking a bite mark to a dentition.. A free man for the first time since he was a teenager, Mr DuBoise must now put his life back together after almost 40 years in prison, the lawsuit says. Then, last September, the Innocence Project asked Mr. Warrens office, which had created a Conviction Review Unit in 2018, to examine Mr. DuBoises case. After nearly 40 years, Robert DuBoise reunites with his sister Harriett (left) and attorney Susan Friedman after his release from Hardee Correctional Institute (Image: Casey Brooke Lawson/ The Innocence Project). DuBoise, who had never been convicted of a violent crime, fully cooperated with police and allowed them to take a mold of his teeth. Florida Death-row exoneree Robert DuBoise (pictured) is suing the City of Tampa, four Tampa police officers, and the forensic odontologist who falsely testified against him, alleging that they fabricated evidence that led to his wrongful conviction and death sentence. This court has failed you for 37 years, Nash said during the remote hearing. Robert Ray Dubois, 73 Resides in Davenport, FL Lived In Kissimmee FL, Sevierville TN, Pigeon Forge TN, Bradford OH Related To William Dubois, Connie Dubois, Evelyn Dubois, Lisa Dubois, Diane Dubois Also known as Robert R Du Bois Includes Address (9) Phone (10) Email (2) See Results Robert Duane Dubois, 47 Resides in Daytona Beach, FL Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. DuBoise was released from prison on Aug. 27 after new DNA testing on evidence from the victims rape kit that was thought to have been destroyed, excluded him as the assailant and identified another individual. The inmate claimed that DuBoise had confessed to raping and murdering Grams alongside two other men, Teresa Hall,supervising attorney for the Conviction Review Unit, saidin a. 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