WATCH LIVE: Psychic on Trial in Spousal Swindling Case, WATCH LIVE: XXXTentacion murder trial 3 men charged in 2018 shooting death of rapper, WATCH LIVE: Murdaugh Family Double-Murder Trial, Law&Crime Looks Ahead to 10 Remarkable Criminal Trials Scheduled for the First Half of 2023, 9 Shocking Times Defendants Testified at Trial, He became a family annihilator: Prosecution delivers long-drawn-out closing statement against accused killer Alex Murdaugh, Antisemitic ex-security guard who sniffed rifle and talked about dead Jews gets 6 years in prison, Extremely disturbing: 5 men charged in child predator sting using decoys posing as 14 and 15 year olds, This was unfortunately misinformation: Florida woman denies taking students Nintendo Switch before brutal attack, Dozens of gang members arrested in Operation Nightmare stemming from execution-style massacre in California, Dozens of gang members arrested in 'Operation Nightmare' stemming from execution-style massacre in California, Antisemitic ex-security guard who sniffed rifle and talked about 'dead Jews' gets 6 years in prison, 'This was unfortunately misinformation': Florida woman denies taking student's Nintendo Switch before brutal attack, Brothers convicted of beating a groom to death after crashing his wedding reception, Vanessa Bryant accepts multi-million dollar settlement with Los Angeles County over pictures taken at fatal helicopter crash site, Ohio homicide detectives investigate two deaths as DNA helps identify skull and bones found decades ago, Marilyn Manson accusers sudden 180 wont get into court in Evan Rachel Wood case, judge rules. There was no other evidence connecting DuBoise to the crime until he was transported to Hillsborough County Jail where a jailhouse informant falsely alleged that DuBoise made statements implicating himself in the crime. Thank you for visiting us. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, against former Tampa police Detectives Phillip Saladino and K.E. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The testimony of DuBoises fellow inmate was also called into doubt. During the detectives canvas, DuBoise was identified as a person of interest after a local resident told police that he caused problems at their regular hangout. 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. A jailhouse informant also testified that Mr. DuBoise had confessed to killing and raping Ms. Grams along with his brother and friend. 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. He was arrested around 5:00 a.m., and, after he started screaming and kicking, he was restrained by ropes and handcuffs and sedated with a tranquilizer called Haldol. Photo of Robert DuBois hugging his mother by Martha Asencio-Rhine, Tampa BayTimes. 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. DuBoise will be the 171st documented death-row exoneration in the U.S. since 1973. 14 connections. In fact, the victims injury was not a human bitemark at all, Daniel Marshall, an attorney for the Human Rights Defense Center, wrote in the lawsuit. And a dental expert cited by the Innocence Project found that the injury on Ms. Gramss cheek was not a bite mark at all, Mr. Warren said. 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. His strength, courage, and determination for nearly four decades has made this day possible. On September 14, 2020, Robert DuBoise became the 30th person exonerated from Floridas death row. The exoneration was a result of cooperation between prosecutors and the Innocence Project, which works to free wrongly convicted prisoners. Now the world knows DNA proves I did not commit this crime. Address: 3600 Oak Tree Ln Titusville, FL 32780, Address: 660 Karen Dr Titusville, FL 32780, Address: 880 Edgewood Rd Titusville, FL 32780, Address: 2641 Arpana Ct Orlando, FL 32839, Address: 13657 Tetherline Trl Orlando, FL 32837, Address: 1802 NE 15th Ter Gainesville, FL 32609, Address: 900 S Kentucky Ave Winter Park, FL 32789, Address: 950 Southlakes Way SW Vero Beach, FL 32968, Address: 1827 Thornhill Rd Wesley Chapel, FL 33544, Address: 3776 Inverrary Blvd Lauderhill, FL 33319, Address: 565 Deer Creek Run Deerfield Bch, FL 33442, Address: 138 Colonial Blvd Palm Harbor, FL 34684, Address: 108 Elmwood Cir Seminole, FL 33777, Address: 8071 Kiawah Trce Port St Lucie, FL 34986, Address: 6465 142nd Ave N Clearwater, FL 33760, Address: 4253 Rudder Way New Prt Rchy, FL 34652, Address: 302 Sterling Dr Winter Haven, FL 33884, Address: 1035 E De Carlo Dr Deltona, FL 32725, Address: 20 S Compass Dr Ft Lauderdale, FL 33308, Address: 11406 Mystical Ln Bryceville, FL 32009, Address: 6101 Cleveland St Hollywood, FL 33024, Address: 6603 10th Ave W Bradenton, FL 34209, Address: 3256 St Ives Blvd Spring Hill, FL 34609, Address: 18504 Kuldin Ave Pt Charlotte, FL 33948, Address: 1248 Polk St Melbourne, FL 32935, Address: 34604 Sweetpea Ln Zephyrhills, FL 33541. 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. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. 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. Robert DuBoise, 55, has spent two-thirds of his life behind bars for the 1983 rape and killing of a woman in Tampa, Fla. By that point, Grams was being represented by Innocence Project attorney Susan Friedman. Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. DuBoise has not yet been officially exonerated. His sentence was reduced in 1988 to life in prison until his exoneration and release last year. In 2007, Mr. DuBoise filed a motion to have DNA from his case tested, but the evidence admitted at his trial had been destroyed in 1990, and Mr. DuBoises motion was denied, prosecutors said. Floridas last death-row exoneration was in the case of Clifford Williams, Jr., who was freed in March 2019 after serving 42 years for a murder he did not commit. 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. These people do not work for the Innocence Project of Florida. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. 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. (August 27, 2020 Tampa, Florida) Today, Robert DuBoise walked free after spending almost 37 years in prison for a 1983 rape and murder in Tampa, Florida, he did not commit. Wrongful convictions deprive victims and their families of justice; they deserve the truthnot false closure based on a false story. That was six months before Grams was killed. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright by Extensive-Enterprises 2023. Butthe inmate was released from prison just 18 months after DuBoise's conviction, Hall said. Mr. DuBoise is a man of faith, Ms. Friedman said, and hoped to go to church and the beach after his release. 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. 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. trial court has freed a former death-row prisoner after local prosecutors said new DNA evidence had proven his innocence of the rape and murder for which he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death 37 years ago. Its been amazing. Through observation and autopsy, authorities concluded the woman was raped and beaten to death. After testifying in court against DuBoise and once a death sentence was secured, the informant received a further sentence reduction to time served and he was immediately released. Im not sure it can get any worse other than all the men that came before him and were executed. He now has the freedom he has deserved all along. 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. 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. Robert S Dubois, 93. 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. Supporters of DuBoise have requested $1.85m in compensation from the state legislature, but that bill has gone nowhere. In many wrongful convictions, such as DuBoises, these benefits provided in exchange for their testimony are never disclosed. I hope that my story helps others to keep fighting to prove their innocence. 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. View Robert Dubois results in Fort Lauderdale, FL including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Robert DuBoise, 55, has spent two-thirds of his life behind bars for the 1983 rape and killing of a woman in Tampa, Fla. The promise or expectation of receiving leniency or other benefits for their testimony creates a strong incentive for these witnesses to lie. Time and freedom, together, are essential . 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). Beyond that, wrongful convictions threaten public safety, putting an innocent person behind bars while the actual person who committed the crime goes free.. 1:32. While we rely on charitable donations to support our work, we never solicit money for our services from our clients. You can check his/her address, phone number, email address, and other info on this page. The District Attorneys should be help liable for every case that they wrongfully convict. 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. 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. 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. 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. Email: [emailprotected] Through observation and autopsy, authorities concluded the woman was raped and beaten to death.