The informant denied obtaining any benefit in exchange for his testimony against DuBoise, but did admit that he considered one of the detectives to be a real good friend. Although the informant was potentially facing a life sentence for his other charges, he was given a plea deal with a sentence of five years. Keep up the good work Innocence Project! 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 Robert DuBoise, 55, has spent two-thirds of his life behind bars for the 1983 rape and killing of a woman in Tampa, Fla. Despite testimony that the informant did not work as a cooperating informant, the CRUs re-investigation revealed that the jailhouse informant was, in fact, an informant; that he had provided information on other murders and rapes in the Tampa Bay area; and that one of the detectives was the informants handler. Additionally, a memorandum from the State Attorneys file that was disclosed during the Innocence Project and CRUs joint post-conviction re-investigation indicated that the jailhouse informant strongly inferred that he was looking for a sentence reduction in exchange for his cooperation with law enforcement and the prosecutor on the DuBoise case. No other physical evidence linked DuBoise to the crime. The woman had been beaten and sexually assaulted. DuBoise was released after new DNA testing of the crime scene evidence that was thought to have been destroyed excluded him as the assailant. Souviron, whose practice is in Coral Gables, did not immediately return a telephone message Saturday seeking comment. STAFF LOGIN. DuBoise has been deprived of all the basic pleasures of human experience, which all free people enjoy as a matter of right., Have a tip we should know? DuBoises lawsuit quotes a speech to a police chiefs in which Souviron said: If you tell me that is the guy that did it, I will go into court and say that is the guy that did it.. However, evidence on the case was presumed destroyedin 1990, apparently aspart of a routine process, Grayson Kamm, communications officer for the Office of the State Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit, said in a phone interview with Oxygen.com. Im just very grateful to all of you.. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He served three years on death row before the Florida Supreme Court vacated his death sentence. The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Florida had recently launched its Conviction Review Unit (CRU) and planned to review cases of possible wrongful conviction from the jurisdiction. All Filters. DNA testing of the samples confirmed what Mr. DuBoise had long said: that he was not responsible for the rape and murder of the woman, Barbara Grams, 19, prosecutors said. On Monday, a hearing before Hillsborough county judge Christopher Nash resulted in an order wiping away the convictions and life sentence, and removing DuBoise from the state sex offender registry. DuBoise was just 18 when he arrested. Floridas newly established Conviction Review Unit agreed to review DuBoises case in September 2019, according to a timeline the state attorneys office provided to Oxygen.com. We provide personal details related to Robert Dubois in Florida(FL). 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. From a human point of view, of course, I feel terrible, Souviron reportedly said, adding: I played a part in his conviction. Dan Sullivan, After 37years, hes free. Very little pointed to 18-year-old Robert DuBoise as the man responsible for the vicious rape and murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams, who was found bludgeoned to death in August 1983. The Innocence Project urged the CRU to review the case based on concerns about the validity of forensic bite mark evidence and the heavy reliance on that evidence in this case. The jury recommended a life sentence, but the judge overrode the recommendation and sentenced DuBoise to death. 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. 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. My small donations dont seem much but together we can all make a difference! I always knew that DNA would prove my innocence and hoped that the evidence could be found not just for me, but for my family as well. Weve had an innocent man locked up for a crime that he did not commit, while the real perpetrator was never held accountable for this horrific murder, Andrew H. Warren, the Hillsborough County state attorney, said at a news conference on Wednesday. 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. Robert is related to Robert Eric Dubois and Mary Frances Dubois as well as 3 additional people. 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. The lawsuit, first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, seeks unspecified damages. Emailus. Today, Robert finally has some measure of justice. You can check his/her address, phone number, email address, and other info on this page. The state took 37 years away from Robert, Friedman said. DuBoise was released from the Hardee Correctional Institution in Bowling Green, Florida, August 27, 2020, one day after Hillsborough prosecutors and lawyers from the national Innocence Project and the Innocence Project of Florida presented Circuit Judge Christopher Nash with evidence of his innocence. The jury unanimously recommended that DuBoise be sentenced to life, but his trial judge, Henry Lee Coe III, overrode their recommendation and sentenced DuBoise to be executed in Floridas electric chair. His innocence was proven after a review of the case by the Hillsborough County state attorneys office and the Innocence Project, which works nationwide to free prisoners who are wrongly convicted. Judge Nash reduced that sentence to time served and set a September 14 hearing date for the presentation of evidence to overturn his conviction. We found 28 records for people named Robert Dubois in 25 cities in Florida throughout Titusville, Orlando, and 23 more cities! Judge Christopher. Now the world knows DNA proves I did not commit this crime. The promise or expectation of receiving leniency or other benefits for their testimony creates a strong incentive for these witnesses to lie. Although DuBoise was the charged perpetrator, there was no other physical or circumstantial evidence connecting him to the attack. A Florida man who was wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering a woman walked free Thursday after 37 years behind bars. 1:32. DuBoise was found guilty and initially sentenced to death, according to the documents. DNA evidence proved Robert DuBoise, who was released from prison last month, did not commit 1983 crime. 0:00. Dr. Richard Souviron, a forensic odontologist, advised detectives to obtain bite mark impressions from potential suspects. Yet this was six months before Grams was slain. 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. Image via AP. ROBERT DUBOIS SALES at PR Winter Park, Florida, United States. The family of the victim deserves to have the truth, as painful as it may be. Wrongful convictions are contrary to the very fiber of our system, Warren said at a news conference following the courts action. A Florida man exonerated of a 1983 rape and murder after 37 years in prison is suing over his wrongful conviction, and initial sentence to death, in which a disproven bite mark was crucial evidence. At a 2008 hearing, the Court Clerk testified that all the evidence admitted at DuBoises trial, which included the victims rape kit, were destroyed in 1990, just five years after his conviction. Robert Dubois in Florida We found 56 records for Robert Dubois in Melbourne, North Miami Beach and 32 other cities in Florida. This sentence was later reduced to life in prison and thats where he remained for more than three decades. According to the lawsuit, investigators initially focused on DuBoise after an attendant at a gas station across the street from where Grams body was found told police that three boys named Robert, Bo and Ray had been causing trouble in the area. However, years of research have wholly undermined this assertion. By 2018, it was well known that bite mark evidence had led to wrongful convictions. Wrongful convictions deprive victims and their families of justice; they deserve the truthnot false closure based on a false story. They deserve the truth, not false closure based on a false story. The DNA testing, prosecutors said, had identified two other men. Although the jailhouse informant claimed to not have been given anything in exchange for his cooperation, he did receive a plea deal that reduced his potential life sentence to five years. It wont be easy. The DNA test results further discredited the informant because the results did not match Mr. DuBoise, his brother or his friend, whom the informant had implicated in the crime, Mr. Warren said. Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone. The Medical Examiner also identified what was thought to be a human bite-mark on the victims cheek. Mr. DuBoise is a man of faith, Ms. Friedman said, and hoped to go to church and the beach after his release. The CRUs audit is the first systematic review of bite mark cases that has been initiated by a prosecutors office. DuBoise maintained his innocence throughout his time in prison. Thank you for visiting us. 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. He may be eligible for substantial compensation: in February, the state of Florida approved a $2 million compensation claim for a man whod been in prison since 1976 for a murder he didnt commit, CBS News reports. Photo of Robert DuBois hugging his mother by Martha Asencio-Rhine, Tampa BayTimes. After 37 years behind bars, a Florida man was formally cleared on Monday of a 1983 rape and murder which DNA evidence proved he did not commit. Copyright 2023 LocatePeople.org. After hugging his mother, he spoke to an assemblage of reporters and cameras. DuBoise appealed his case in 2006, hoping to prove his innocence with DNA evidence that couldn't be properly processed in the '80s,local station WTSP reports. The Hillsborough County prosecutors office said Ms. Gramss family had been extremely understanding, but they are not prepared to make any public comments right now.. The Innocence Project began investigating DuBoises case in 2018 and in 2019 and requested that the CRU reopen the case based on new evidence about the jailhouse informant and concerns about the discredited bite mark evidence. The Innocence Project, which is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system. [emailprotected]. The discovery of a rape kit for victim Barbara Grams, which had been presumed destroyed decades earlier, provided conclusive evidence that Robert DuBoise wasn't guilty of the 19-year-old's 1983 rape and murder. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Youve never seen someone so happy to be cooking in the Florida heat, Kamm said, recalling DuBoise's first moments in the blazing sunlight as a free man. Robert DuBoise, 56, wasfreed 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. Small donations dont seem much but together we can all make a!! Vacated his death sentence souviron, a forensic odontologist, advised detectives to obtain mark! Richard souviron, a forensic odontologist, advised detectives to robert dubois florida bite mark impressions from potential suspects return! Found 56 records for Robert Dubois in Florida throughout Titusville, Orlando, and much more a life sentence but. The comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe for. Any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free safe... 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