US man spent 37 years in prison for murder he didn’t commit; now he’s taking home $14 million in compensation

A US man who spent 37 years in prison for a rape and murder he did not commit in 1983 will now receive $14 million from Tampa, Florida, as compensation for all the lost years.

Robert DuBoise, who was reportedly 18 at the time of the crime, was originally sentenced to death for killing 19-year-old Barbara Grams. Associated Press. Although his sentence was later commuted to life in prison, it was not until 2018 that prosecutors, with help from the Innocence Project, agreed to reopen the case. DNA testing, which was not available in the early 1980s, implicated two other men in the murder, and Du Bois was eventually released from prison in 2020.

DuBoise later sued the city of Tampa, police officers who investigated the case and a forensic dentist who confirmed that his teeth matched alleged bite marks on the victim. The lawsuit was settled on Jan. 11, but the Tampa City Council voted unanimously Thursday to formally award the 59-year-old DuBois $14 million. City Council members said the money was the least the city could do for him. “This is a big mistake,” said council member Luis Vieira. “I hope and pray that this settlement will bring him some level of comfort.”

‘gentlemen. Du Bois suffered”

DuBois, who did not attend Thursday’s meeting, is represented in the case by the Chicago-based civil rights law firm of Loevy & Loevy, which has handled numerous 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.

In a brief phone interview after Thursday’s vote, DuBoise said that’s exactly what he’s doing. He said he works as a maintenance director at Tampa-area country clubs and does other maintenance jobs. He is planning to buy a house. “This means it’s finally over for me. I’m glad I don’t have to spend many more years pursuing this goal,” he said. “Money, a house, a car, none of that can bring back what I’ve lost. I’m not bitter about anything. I don’t want to waste my time on a party of pain and pity.”

The development of technology

Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercow said in a statement that detectives have received better training since the Dubois case and that advances in technology have come a long way in handling such investigations. “We recognize the profound and lasting impact this case has, particularly on Mr. DuBois nearly four decades later,” Bercow said. DuBois and his law firm will be in the process this year, according to city documents. Received $9 million, will receive $3 million next year and $2 million in 2026.

In August 1983, Grams was sexually assaulted and beaten to death while returning home from get off work at a Tampa restaurant. A medical examiner concluded the gash on her cheek was a bite mark, leading investigators to collect bite mark samples from several men, including Dubois. It is important to note that the wound impression was made with beeswax. The forensic dentist determined the bite came from Dubois, who, although he did not know Grams, frequented the area where her body was found.

Dentist testifies

As part of DuBois’ lawsuit, the dentist testified that he no longer believed bite marks could be directly matched to a person, according to the City Council’s resolution on the settlement. Decades later, DNA testing pointed to Amos Robinson and Abron Scott, both of whom were serving life sentences for another murder. They are all awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges in Grams’ case. The jailhouse informant’s testimony that DuBois confessed to killing Grames was also later called into question. As DuBois argued in the lawsuit, the city denied in the settlement that any of its officers committed willful misconduct.

DuBois walked out of a Florida prison in August 2020. “I pray to God every day and hope for that,” DuBois said shortly after his release. At a court hearing a month later, when the case was eventually dropped, DuBoiz said he had a hard time trusting the justice system “because of the many obstacles that were put in my path.” Now, he says he believes justice has been served stretch. “There are really genuine people in these offices now,” DuBoise said. “This is awesome. I just want to thank you all so much.”

(Institutional investment)