Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. USA TODAY. I am grateful to be here, now with a chance to move forward, but I know there are more innocent people like me still behind bars, said DuBoise. I am just so grateful that my voice was heard and the truth is out there, said DuBoise. Its been amazing. Robert C Dubois, Age 91 Open report >> Lives: Sarasota, FL, in zip codes 34237 and 34235; He was released from prison last month. The case against DuBoise was weak from the start. When the charges are formally dismissed, DuBoise will become Floridas 30th death-row exoneree since 1973, the most in the nation. In February 1988, the Florida Supreme Court overturned DuBoises death sentence, ruling that the trial court should not have overridden the jurys sentencing recommendation and directing that DuBoise be resentenced to life imprisonment. 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. John Counsman, and forensic dentist Dr. Richard Souviron. All rights reserved. This case was filed in Osceola County Courts, Not Classified By Court located in Osceola, Florida. As part of this effort, both parties worked collaboratively to re-investigate this crime. Robert E Dubois has a BuildZoom score of 90, which places them above 47% of 191,428 contractors in Florida. To date, at least 33 known wrongful convictions and indictments stem from bite mark evidence, and the misapplication of forensic science was involved in 45 percent of DNA exoneration cases. The State sought this sentence reduction even though the Florida Parole and Probation Commission recommended against an earlier presumptive parole date. DuBoise, who spent three years on death row, was released from prison in August 2020 after DNA testing conclusively showed that he did not commit the slaying. (Page 4) 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. Florida is the only state that disqualifies exonerees from being compensated if they were convicted of unrelated crimes. DuBoise was re-sentenced to life for the murder and 15 years for the attempted sexual battery to run consecutively. 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 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. By that point, Grams was being represented by Innocence Project attorney Susan Friedman. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. A Florida Robert Dubois in Florida. He served three years on death row before the Florida Supreme Court vacated his death sentence. DuBoise maintained his innocence throughout his time in prison. 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 state attorney in Hillsborough County, Fla., said Wednesday. 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). The only physical evidence implicating Mr. DuBoise was fabricated bitemark evidence that supposedly matched Mr. DuBoise to an injury on the victims body. 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.. My small donations dont seem much but together we can all make a difference! Dr. Souviron concluded that it was a match and detectives immediately arrested DuBoise who, at the time, was only 18 years old. You can check his/her address, phone number, email address, and other info on this page. . Butthe inmate was released from prison just 18 months after DuBoise's conviction, Hall said. 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. They punish the innocent while allowing the actual perpetrator to go free. I can never regain the birthdays, holidays and precious time I lost with them, nevermind the life I could have made for myself. Alabama still allows trial judges to impose the death penalty based upon a jurys 10-2 or 11-1 vote for death. During the reinvestigation, Dr. Adam Freeman, a forensic odontologist, reviewed the bite mark evidence and testimony in this case. 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. 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. 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. View Robert Roger Dubois results in Melbourne, FL including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Experience 17 projects New Constructions The testimony of DuBoises fellow inmate was also called into doubt. His strength, courage, and determination for nearly four decades has made this day possible. He concluded that the original bite mark conclusions are unsupported by science and, most critically, found that although two experts at trial concluded that the pattern injury was a bite mark, the injury in this case was in fact not a bite mark. Pennsylvania man who wrongly spent 23 years on death row is freed, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. STAFF LOGIN. Time and freedom, together, are essential . The state took 37 years away from Robert, Friedman said. Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL. (Image: Casey Brooke Lawson/AP Images for The Innocence Project). And when you tell the truth, justice is done, said Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren. In 2019, the Innocence Project reached out to the Conviction Review Unit (CRU) at the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa to begin a joint re-investigation based on new evidence on the jailhouse informant and concerns about the discredited bite mark evidence. Earlier this month, however, a prosecutor in Hillsborough County, Fla., made a startling discovery: The county medical examiners office had preserved rape kit samples in the case that were not used in Mr. DuBoises trial. DuBoise was released after new DNA testing of the crime scene evidence that was thought to have been destroyed excluded him as the assailant. (Image: Casey Brooke Lawson/The Innocence Project). Detectives sought out the opinion of a second odontologist, Dr. Richard Souviron, who advised police to start collecting bite mark impressions from potential suspects. The District Attorneys should be help liable for every case that they wrongfully convict. 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. Jailhouse informant testimony plays a leading role in 17% of the 375 DNA-based exoneration cases. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. 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. 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. 14 connections. Thank you for visiting us. In 2020, despite previous assurances that all the biological evidence from the rape kit was destroyed, slides from the victims autopsy were also found at the office of the Medical Examiner for Hillsborough County. (September 14, 2020 Tampa, Florida) Today, Robert DuBoise was exonerated from all charges in the 1983 rape and murder of a young woman in Tampa, Florida. Robert DuBoise is pictured on his bed at his new home in Tampa. His sentence was reduced in 1988 to life in prison until his exoneration and release last year. No state any longer permits a judge to override a jurys recommendation for life. All of the other physical evidence excluded DuBoise and there were no eyewitnesses that placed him near the crime scene. In addition, the lawsuit contends that investigators conspired with jailhouse informants to falsely implicate DuBoise in the Grams killing and were guilty of misconduct in the handling of his case. Robert DuBoise hugging his mother Myra DuBoise following his release from prison after 37 years on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 in Bowling Green, Florida. That was six months before Grams was killed. I praise them for all they did. Wrongful convictions erode the foundation of our justice system. However, years of research have wholly undermined this assertion. To prove their case, prosecutors presented testimony from a local dentist who concluded that an injury on Ms. Gramss cheek was a bite mark, as well as testimony from a dental expert who said that Mr. DuBoise had inflicted the bite. The Innocence Project is advocating for legislation to remove this provision. All original evidence was thought to have been destroyed, as was noted by the court at an earlier time Soon after this discovery, DNA testing on the remaining evidence revealed positive identification of male DNA from the perpetrator and excluded Robert DuBoise as a contributor. The lawsuit, first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, seeks unspecified damages. 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. Mr. Warren said that the scientific community, including the National Academy of Sciences, had rejected the type of bite-mark analysis used in Mr. DuBoises case. Have a tip or story idea? 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. A forensic DNA analyst, Nancy Wilson, said two people were involved in the Grams assault, neither of them DuBoise. In addition, the lawsuit contends that investigators conspired with jailhouse informants to falsely implicate DuBoise and were guilty of misconduct. For now, though, DuBoise is just celebrating his newfound freedom. was wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering a woman walked free Thursday after 37 years behind bars. Im so happy to see that the Innocence Project has been successful in freeing another innocent person and so happy that youre free, Robert, but also incredibly sad for all you have lost. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He was just 18 years old. Robert Duboise served 37 years in Florida State Prison for the death of Barbara Grams, a 19-year-old Tampa woman police found beaten to death behind a dental practice in 1983. Robert F Debois, Dubois Robert Dubois, Robert I Dubois, Robert F Dubois, Robert F Du Bois Principal at Lord Is Good LLC , Professional Surveyors and Mappers at WINTER HAVEN SR HIGH SCHOOL DuBoise was released after new DNA testing of the crime scene evidence that was thought to have been destroyed excluded him as the assailant. Copyright 2023 LocatePeople.org. . Robert S Dubois, 93. Robert Dubois in Florida. For decades, forensic odontologists testified that they could identify the source of a bite mark. DuBoise never confessed and maintained his innocence throughout, his lawyers said. While the state is constitutionally obligated to provide the defense with key information related to the credibility of jailhouse informants, such as the benefits provided for their testimony, in many wrongful convictions this evidence is never disclosed. The only physical evidence implicating Mr. DuBoise was fabricated bite mark evidence that supposedly matched Mr. DuBoise to an injury on the victims body. 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. This is the first type of audit to be done by a CRU. 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. Keep up the good work Innocence Project! Florida State Attorney's Office, Floridas newly established Conviction Review Unit agreed to review DuBoises case in September 2019, according to a, For one thing,the injury on Gramscheek likely wasnt a bite mark at all and even if it was, bite marks are no longer considered reliable evidence in identifying suspects, according to new expert testimony referenced in. A Florida man who was wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering a woman walked free Thursday after 37 years behind bars. The best result we found for your search is Robert G Dubois age 60s in Naples, FL in the Palm River neighborhood. Once again, I apologize to Robert on behalf of the entire justice system for all he has gone through. Souviron, whose practice is in Coral Gables, did not immediately return a telephone message Saturday seeking comment. (Image: Casey Brooke Lawson/The Innocence Project) (September 14, 2020 Tampa, Florida) Today, Robert DuBoise was exonerated from all charges in the 1983 rape and murder of a young woman in Tampa, Florida. St. Petersburg, Florida 33704. The CRUs audit is the first systematic review of bite mark cases that has been initiated by a prosecutors office. 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. 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. After cooperating with law enforcement and providing a sworn statement in DuBoises case, he was offered a plea and sentenced to five years in prison. Today, it has finally succeeded.. 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