Following a grueling 37-year period of being imprisoned for an unjust conviction related to the rape and murder case in Florida from 1983, Robert Duboise, a Florida Man, is expected to receive $14 million as recompense from the city of Tampa.
Despite being innocent of the murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams, DuBoise was convicted at only 18 years old and sentenced to death. Although his sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment, it wasn’t until assistance from the Innocence Project organization in 2018 that prosecutors agreed to review his case.
Due to technological progress in DNA testing, which was not accessible during the 1980s, it became evident that two other people were involved in Grams’ killing. This proof ultimately resulted in DuBoise’s pardon and release from jail in 2020. Subsequently, he filed a lawsuit against Tampa city officials, police officers participating in the inquiry, as well as a forensic dentist who gave essential testimony for his conviction upon liberation.
The settlement of the lawsuit will be subject to approval by the Tampa City Council on Thursday, January 11. In case it gets approved, DuBoise (59) will receive $14 million as compensation. Loevy & Loevy civil rights law firm represented him in this wrongful conviction case filed against several across United States.
The law firm’s statement remarked on how the settlement not only recognizes DuBoise’s suffering but also grants him a chance to start anew. Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw recognized the case’s significant impact and cited advances in detective training and technology as contributors to improved investigative methods since then.
City documents show that DuBoise and his lawyers will be awarded $9 million this year, followed by $3 million in the next fiscal year, as well as an additional $2 million granted to them for 2026.
Due to an investigation fraught with outdated forensic methods, the conviction was unjustly obtained. The erroneous identification of a mark on Grams’ cheek as a bite wound triggered authorities to collect samples from numerous individuals (such as DuBoise). Interestingly, beeswax served as the medium in creating an impression of the opportunistic injury.
The forensic dentist, whose testimony previously held DuBoise accountable, eventually retracted his notion that bite marks could definitively trace back to a particular person. This disclosure and the DNA evidence successfully exculpated Duboise while indicting Amos Robinson and Abron Scott for an unrelated offense; they are currently serving life sentences in relation to it.
The testimony of a prison informant that initially implicated DuBoise was ultimately debunked. Although DuBoise claimed in the legal action that police officers acted maliciously, the settlement agreement rejected these allegations made against the city.
Top Tips to Turn your Side Hustle into a Success
Expressing his gratitude for being released from prison in August 2020, DuBoise stated that he had prayed to God every day and held onto hope. Although initially skeptical of the judicial system, he now believes that justice has been served and credits those who worked hard to secure his freedom.
