The lawsuit was settled on January 11
A Florida man who spent 37 years in prison for a 1983 rape and murder he didn’t commit will receive $14 million from the city of Tampa as compensation for all the lost years. Robert Dubois, who was 18 at the time of the crime, was originally sentenced to death for the murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams.
abc news Mr DuBoise’s sentence was later commuted to life in prison in 2018 with help from the Innocence Project, the report said. DNA testing, which became unavailable in the early 1980s, revealed that two other people were involved in the murder, leading to DuBoise’s firing in 2020. Shortly thereafter, Mr. DuBoise filed legal action against the city of Tampa, police officers and medical examiners involved in the investigation. The dentist testified that impressions of his teeth matched alleged bite marks on the victim.
The lawsuit was settled on Jan. 11, but the Tampa City Council will need to vote Thursday to approve the lawsuit and formally award $14 million to Dubois, 59. Representing him in the case is Loevy & Loevy, a Chicago-based civil rights law firm known for its extensive experience handling wrongful conviction cases across the country.
“The settlement is not only an acknowledgment of the harm suffered by Mr. DuBoise but also an opportunity for him to move on with his life,” the law firm said in a statement.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw emphasized in a statement that detectives received enhanced training in the wake of the Dubois case and that technological advances have significantly improved the handling of such investigations.
“We recognize the profound and lasting impact this case has had, particularly on Mr Dubois nearly four decades later,” Bercow said.
Mr. DuBois and his law firm will receive $9 million this year, $3 million next year and $2 million in 2026, according to city documents.
In August 1983, Grams was sexually assaulted and beaten to death while she was walking home from get off work at a Tampa restaurant. A bite mark found on her cheek prompted investigators to collect bite mark samples from several people, including Dubois. It is noteworthy that impressions of the wounds were obtained using beeswax.
A forensic dentist identified Mr DuBoise as the source of the bite, even though he did not know Grams but was often seen near where her body was found. However, during DuBois’s lawsuit, the dentist testified that he no longer believed the bite marks could be unambiguously matched to a specific individual, as stated in the City Council’s resolution regarding the settlement.
Decades later, DNA testing linked Amos Robinson and Abron Scott to Grams’ murder, and both were serving life sentences for another killing. They are currently awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges related to Grams’ case.
Additionally, a jailhouse informant’s testimony that DuBois confessed to the crime was later cast into doubt. As part of the settlement, the city denied any willful misconduct by officers, contrary to DuBoise’s allegations in the lawsuit.
Mr. DuBoise was released from a Florida prison in August 2020.
“I pray to God every day and hope for that,” Mr. DuBois said shortly after his release.
At a court hearing a month later, Mr. DuBoise said he had a hard time trusting the justice system “because there were so many obstacles put in my path.” Now, he said he believed justice had been served.
“There are genuine people in these offices now,” DuBoise said. “This is awesome. I’m so grateful to all of you.”
