Current:Home > reviewsA Florida man was imprisoned 37 years for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s now expected to get $14M -FutureFinance
A Florida man was imprisoned 37 years for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s now expected to get $14M
View
Date:2025-04-16 03:03:37
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Robert DuBoise spent 37 years in a Florida prison for a 1983 rape and murder he did not commit. Now, he’s set to receive $14 million from the city of Tampa as compensation for all those lost years.
DuBoise, who was 18 when the crime occurred, was initially sentenced to death for the killing of 19-year-old Barbara Grams. Although his sentence was later reduced to life in prison, it wasn’t until 2018 — with help from the Innocence Project organization — that prosecutors agreed to give the case another look.
DNA testing that was not available in the early 1980s pointed toward two other men in the slaying, leading to DuBoise’s release from prison in 2020. Not long after that, DuBoise sued the city of Tampa, police officers who investigated the case and a forensic dentist who had testified that his teeth matched a purported bite mark on the victim.
The lawsuit was settled Jan. 11 but the Tampa City Council must vote Thursday to approve it and officially award the $14 million to DuBoise, now 59. He was represented in the case by the Chicago-based Loevy & Loevy civil rights law firm, which has handled numerous wrongful conviction cases around the country.
“The settlement is not only an acknowledgement of the harm that Mr. DuBoise suffered, but also an opportunity for him to move on with his life,” the law firm said in a statement.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in his own statement that in the years since the DuBoise case, detectives undergo better training and that advances in technology have made great strides in how such investigations are handled.
“We recognize the profound and lasting effects of this case, especially on Mr. DuBoise nearly four decades later,” Bercaw said.
DuBoise and his law firm will get $9 million this year, $3 million next year and $2 million in 2026, according to city documents.
Grams was sexually assaulted and beaten to death in August 1983 as she walked home from her job at a Tampa restaurant. A medical examiner concluded a wound on her cheek was a bite mark, leading investigators to take bite samples from a number of men including DuBoise. Notably, the wound impression was made using beeswax.
The forensic dentist determined the bite came from DuBoise, even though he didn’t know Grams but frequented the area where her body was found. The dentist testified as part of DuBoise’s lawsuit that he no longer believes bite marks can be matched directly to an individual person, according to the city council resolution about the settlement.
Decades later, the DNA testing pointed to Amos Robinson and Abron Scott, both of whom are serving life prison sentences for a different killing. They are both awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges in the Grams case.
A prison informant’s testimony that DuBoise confessed to killing Grams was also later discredited. The city denied in the settlement that any of its police officers were guilty of intentional wrongdoing, as DuBoise had contended in the lawsuit.
DuBoise walked out of a Florida prison in August 2020.
‘I prayed to God every day and hoped for it,” DuBoise said moments after his release.
At a court hearing a month later in which the case was finally dropped, DuBoise said he’s had a hard time trusting the judicial system “because I’ve had a lot of roadblocks thrown in my path.” Now, he said he believes justice has been done.
“There are really true-hearted people in these offices now,” DuBoise said. “It’s been amazing. I’m just very grateful to all of you.”
veryGood! (4728)
Related
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Live updates | Israel and Hamas prepare for fourth swap as mediators seek to extend cease-fire
- 'Wish' lacked the magic to beat out 'Hunger Games,' 'Napoleon' at Thanksgiving box office
- 3 college students of Palestinian descent shot in Vermont in possible hate crime, authorities say
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Man accused of threatening shooting at New Hampshire school changes plea to guilty
- Ukraine and the Western Balkans top Blinken’s agenda for NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels
- Second group of Hamas-held hostages released after hours-long delay; temporary cease-fire holds
- Small twin
- The 55 Best Cyber Monday Sales to Start Off Your Week: Pottery Barn, Revolve & More
Ranking
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- It's holiday cookie baking season: Try these expert tips to make healthy cookies.
- Politics and the pulpit: How white evangelicals' support of Trump is creating schisms in the church
- The Excerpt podcast: The return of the bison, a wildlife success story
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Iran adds sophisticated warship to Caspian fleet
- 5-year-old girl dies, search suspended for man swept out by California wave: Coast Guard
- Beijing police investigate major Chinese shadow bank Zhongzhi after it says it’s insolvent
Recommendation
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
2 children among 5 killed in Ohio house fire on Thanksgiving
Oscar Pistorius, ex-Olympic runner, granted parole more than 10 years after killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Hamas to release second group of Israeli hostages after hours-long delay, mediators say
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
Police arrest suspect in possible 'hate-motivated' shooting of three Palestinian students
Google is deleting unused accounts this week. Here's how to save your old data
New incentives could boost satisfaction with in-person work, but few employers are making changes