2023 Innocence Project. 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. 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. Then, last September, the Innocence Project asked Mr. Warrens office, which had created a Conviction Review Unit in 2018, to examine Mr. DuBoises case. 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. Charge: Capital Murder and Attempted Sexual Battery, Conviction: Capital Murder and Attempted Sexual Battery, Real perpetrator found? This sentence was later reduced to life in prison and thats where he remained for more than three decades. This directly contradicted the Assistant State Attorneys statement to the jury that the informant was in prison and that he would be going right back to prison to finish serving his sentence. 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. DuBoise was re-sentenced to life for the murder and 15 years for the attempted sexual battery to run consecutively. A jury convicted Mr. DuBoise of first-degree murder and attempted sexual battery in 1985, and a judge sentenced him to death. Mr. DuBoise was arrested in connection with Ms. Gramss killing when he was 18. All Filters. 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. In 2007, pursuant to a court order the state responded that in 1990 the Hillsborough County Clerks Office disposed of the evidence in the regular course of business. Defense counsel met with a Tampa Police Department detective to determine whether any items not admitted at trial were in the police departments custody, at which time approximately ten boxes of evidence were foundmostly trace evidence. The Innocent project did their job. Including DuBoises case in the calculations, 22 of the 24 Florida exonerations for which the jurys sentencing vote is known (91.7%) have been in these cases. Prosecutors declined to reveal the persons identity but said he poses no threat to public safety.. He served three years on death row before the Florida Supreme Court vacated his death sentence. Through observation and autopsy, authorities concluded the woman was raped and beaten to death. 950 Southlakes Way SW Vero Beach, FL 32968, 1827 Thornhill Rd Wesley Chapel, FL 33544, 565 Deer Creek Run Deerfield Bch, FL 33442, Robert N Dubois, Robert N Dubois, Robert L Dubois, Robert L Dubois, Robert Dubois, Robert Dubois, Robert R Dubois, Robert R Dubois, Robert E Dubois, Robert E Dubois, Robert A Dubois, Robert A Dubois, Robert W Dubois, Robert W Dubois, Robert C Dubois, Robert C Dubois, Robert S Dubois, Robert S Dubois, Robert V Dubois, Robert V Dubois, Robert D Dubois, Robert D Dubois, Robert M Dubois, Robert M Dubois. Wrongful convictions erode the foundation of our justice system. DNA testing showed that DNA from two males was present and excluded DuBoise, Victor DuBoise and Raymond Garcia. In March 1985, a jury convicted DuBoise of capital murder and attempted sexual battery. This is the first type of audit to be done by a CRU. Were righting this wrong today, finally.. [emailprotected]. Help us advocate for the innocent by sharing the latest news from the Innocence Project. I hope that my story helps others to keep fighting to prove their innocence. My small donations dont seem much but together we can all make a difference! . 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. The family of the victim deserves to have the truth, as painful as it may be. 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. 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 to prevent future injustice. Unlike other areas of forensic analysis, bite mark analysis lacks validated rules, regulations or processes for accreditation that would establish standards for the expert testimony. If a judge approves the motion on Thursday, Mr. DuBoise could walk out of Hardee Correctional Institution in Bowling Green, Fla., on Thursday afternoon, after 37 years behind bars. Robert Dubois was wrongly convicted for a 1983 rape and murder. This bitemark evidence was knowingly fabricated by Defendant Souviron, a forensic odontologist, in conspiracy with Detectives K.E. The states theory at trial was that DuBoise, his brother Victor DuBoise and friend Raymond Garcia sexually assaulted and killed the victim, though only DuBoise was arrested and prosecuted for these crimes. Robert Dubois in Fort Lauderdale, FL 13 results - Robert Dubois may also have lived outside of Fort Lauderdale, such as Fort Walton Beach, Hollywood and 2 other cities in Florida. When investigators began to identify suspects, they also came across a local resident who referred to Robert DuBoise as someone who caused problems at a hangout place in the area. At the time, the inmate, who was facing a life sentence, claimed hed received no promises in exchange for testimony. Pennsylvania man who wrongly spent 23 years on death row is freed, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The lawsuit, first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, seeks unspecified damages. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. The state attorney is now looking into other cases. All Rights On Wednesday, prosecutors said they had moved to free Mr. DuBoise by filing a joint motion with his lawyer to reduce his life sentence to time served. 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 wasfound bludgeoned to deathin August 1983. However, years of research have wholly undermined this assertion. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! In many wrongful convictions, such as DuBoises, these benefits provided in exchange for their testimony are never disclosed. 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. A forensic DNA analyst, Nancy Wilson, said two people were involved in the Grams assault, neither of them DuBoise. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Alabama still allows trial judges to impose the death penalty based upon a jurys 10-2 or 11-1 vote for death. DuBoise is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The dentist was Dr. Richard Souviron, who gained notoriety as an expert after testifying in the murder trial of serial killer Ted Bundy that one of his Florida victims had a bite mark that matched his teeth. 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