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Jerry Lambe is a journalist at Law&Crime. All Filters. 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. 2023 Innocence Project. In the federal lawsuit filed this week, DuBoises attorneys name as defendants the city of Tampa, four police investigators and a forensic dentist who testified a bite mark on Grams cheek was from DuBoise based on a faulty beeswax mold. Im just very grateful to all of you.. In 1983, no reasonable dentist or forensic odontologist believed that bite mark molds made from beeswax impressions constituted a reliable or generally accepted basis for either identifying or excluding potential murder suspects, the suit states. Robert Joseph Dubois, 69, passed away on Saturday, April 16, 2022. Floridas newly established Conviction Review Unit agreed to review DuBoises case in September 2019, according to a timeline the state attorneys office provided to Oxygen.com. The exoneration was a result of cooperation between prosecutors and the Innocence Project, which works to free wrongly convicted prisoners. The DNA testing, prosecutors said, had identified two other men. Thank you for visiting us. DuBoise has been deprived of all the basic pleasures of human experience, which all free people enjoy as a matter of right., Have a tip we should know? The American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) has revised its standards and guidelines, and now explicitly states that an ABFO Diplomate shall not express conclusions unconditionally linking a bite mark to a dentition.. In August 2006, DuBoise filed a motion for post-conviction DNA testing. Burke, former Sgt. A Florida man exonerated of a 1983 rape and murder after 37 years in prison is suing over his wrongful conviction, and initial sentence to death, in which a disproven bite mark was crucial evidence. When questioned, the then-18-year-old DuBoise fully cooperated with the officers. Florida remains the only state to disqualify exonerees from compensation if they were formerly convicted of unrelated felony offenses. Florida Death-row exoneree Robert DuBoise (pictured) is suing the City of Tampa, four Tampa police officers, and the forensic odontologist who falsely testified against him, alleging that they fabricated evidence that led to his wrongful conviction and death sentence. 950 Southlakes Way SW Vero Beach, FL 32968, 1827 Thornhill Rd Wesley Chapel, FL 33544, 565 Deer Creek Run Deerfield Bch, FL 33442, Robert N Dubois, Robert N Dubois, Robert L Dubois, Robert L Dubois, Robert Dubois, Robert Dubois, Robert R Dubois, Robert R Dubois, Robert E Dubois, Robert E Dubois, Robert A Dubois, Robert A Dubois, Robert W Dubois, Robert W Dubois, Robert C Dubois, Robert C Dubois, Robert S Dubois, Robert S Dubois, Robert V Dubois, Robert V Dubois, Robert D Dubois, Robert D Dubois, Robert M Dubois, Robert M Dubois. That was six months before Grams was killed. 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. As the case headed for trial, the State used a jailhouse informant to help build its case. The states theory at trial was that DuBoise, his brother Victor DuBoise and friend Raymond Garcia sexually assaulted and killed the victim, though only DuBoise was arrested and prosecuted for these crimes. The discovery of a rape kit for victim Barbara Grams, which had been presumed destroyed decades earlier, provided conclusive evidence that Robert DuBoise wasn't guilty of the 19-year-old's 1983 rape and murder. Now the world knows DNA proves I did not commit this crime. 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. Experience 17 projects New Constructions Souviron famously helped authorities convict Ted Bundy for the 1979 murder of Lisa Levy based on the bite mark the notorious serial killer left on the victims buttocks. Grams in August 1983 was forcibly raped and beaten to death while walking home from work. The presence of DNA from two other people is indisputable scientific proof that he is innocent. Robert Michael Dubois, 45. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. The lawsuit claims beeswax was not an accepted method of identifying teeth marks in murder cases and was used only because another officer in the Tampa police department operated a honey business on the side. The Innocence Project began investigating DuBoises case in 2018 and in 2019 and requested that the CRU reopen the case based on new evidence about the jailhouse informant and concerns about the discredited bite mark evidence. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Finally, the Conviction Review Unit discoveredthat Gramsrape kit hadnt been destroyed after all. His strength, courage, and determination for nearly four decades has made this day possible. Robert DuBoise was convicted of the 1983 killing of Barbara Grams after a forensic dentist testified regarding a faulty beeswax mold. provided cannot be used for any unlawful purpose. The lawsuit, first reported by theTampa Bay Times, seeks unspecified damages. Mr. DuBoises father died while he was incarcerated, she said. Emailus. The Innocence Project of Florida served as local counsel on the case. This wont be easy, but it will be worth it, he said. Robert has spent over 36 years in prison because of discredited bite mark evidence and the testimony of an unreliable jailhouse informant who we now know received benefits in exchange for that testimony. At DuBoises trial, the jailhouse informant explained that he was testifying for two reasons: (1) he did not condone forcing a woman to do anything; and (2) he did not want Robert to take the whole blame for the crime. (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. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. Resides in Fort Walton Beach, FL . Report this profile . 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. A Florida man exonerated of a 1983 rape and murder after serving 37 years in prison is suing over his wrongful conviction in which a disproven bite mark was crucial evidence. The State sought this sentence reduction even though the Florida Parole and Probation Commission recommended against an earlier presumptive parole date. 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. He served three years on death row before the Florida Supreme Court vacated his death sentence. DuBoise was resentenced to life for the murder and 15 years for the attempted sexual battery to run consecutively. (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. After a 2008 hearing, a judge concluded that even if the evidence was suitable for testing, it would not exonerate DuBoise because the states theory was that two other individuals participated in the crime. The Hillsborough County prosecutors office said Ms. Gramss family had been extremely understanding, but they are not prepared to make any public comments right now.. The Conviction Review Unit will continue to work with the court to finish exonerating DuBoise,Hall said in a phone interview with Oxygen.com. 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. On September 14, 2020, Robert DuBoise became the 30th person exonerated from Floridas death row. The promise or expectation of receiving leniency or other benefits for their testimony creates a strong incentive for these witnesses to lie. Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182 Anyone can read what you share. Investigators have two new persons of interest in the case. The Innocence Project, which is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. Based on junk-science bite-mark evidence and false testimony from a prison informant, Robert DuBoise (pictured with his mother, Myra, following his release) was convicted of raping and murdering 19-year-old Barbara Grams. He was released on . Death Penalty Information Center | 1701 K Street NW Suite 205 Washington, DC 20006, Phone: 202-289-2275 | Email: [emailprotected], Privacy Policy | 2023 Death Penalty Information Center, Innocence Project Client Robert DuBoise Released After Nearly. The expert who testified that it was Mr. DuBoises bite has since renounced similar evidence in other cases, Mr. Warren said. Marshall provided support for the claim by quoting several lines from a speech Souviron gave just before DuBoises trial. 2023 Innocence Project. In October 1983, DuBoise was arrested for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman based solely on unreliable bite mark evidence. There are really true-hearted people in these offices now, he said. Join to connect PR. In a speech he gave to a police chiefs meeting before the DuBoise case, the lawsuit quotes Souviron as saying if you tell me that is the guy that did it, I will go into court and say that is the guy that did it., The lawsuit claims beeswax was not an accepted method of identifying teeth marks in murder cases and was used only because another officer in the Tampa Police Department operated a honey business on the side.. Convicted of murder and sentenced to death, his sentence was reduced in 1988 to life in prison until his exoneration and release last year. During the reinvestigation, Dr. Adam Freeman, a forensic odontologist, reviewed the bite mark evidence and testimony in this case. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Robert A. Dubois of Port Charlotte, Florida, who passed away on June 6, 2022, at the age of 80, leaving to mourn family and friends. (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 has spent decades determined to show that he was wrongfully convicted, and we are eager to see him fully exonerated, said Susan Friedman, DuBoises Innocence Project attorney. He may be eligible for substantial compensation: in February, the state of Florida approved a $2 million compensation claim for a man whod been in prison since 1976 for a murder he didnt commit. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. Another leading factor in wrongful convictions nationally is jailhouse informant testimony, playing a role in 17 percent of the 375 DNA-based exoneration cases. Website by MADEO. DNA evidence proved Robert DuBoise, who was released from prison last month, did not commit 1983 crime. The Innocence Project urged the CRU to review the case based on concerns about the validity of forensic bite mark evidence and the heavy reliance on that evidence in this case. 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. Robert Dubois in Florida We found 56 records for Robert Dubois in Melbourne, North Miami Beach and 32 other cities in Florida. Until 2016, Florida permitted trial judges to impose death sentences despite jury recommendations for life or based on non-unanimous jury votes for death. In many wrongful convictions, such as DuBoises, these benefits provided in exchange for their testimony are never disclosed. Were righting this wrong today, finally.. Robert A. Dubois Obituary. This directly contradicted the Assistant State Attorneys statement to the jury that the informant was in prison and that he would be going right back to prison to finish serving his sentence. The states theory at trial was that on Aug. 18, 1983, DuBoise, his brother Victor DuBoise and friend Raymond Garcia sexually assaulted and killed a 19-year-old woman, though only DuBoise was arrested and prosecuted for these crimes. A jury convicted Mr. DuBoise of first-degree murder and attempted sexual battery in 1985, and a judge sentenced him to death. 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 Thursday hearing. [emailprotected]. DuBoise is represented by the Innocence Project, who worked collaboratively with the Conviction Review Unit at the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa. DuBoise never confessed to anyone and maintained his innocence throughout, his lawyers said. (Page 4) Help us advocate for the innocent by sharing the latest news from the Innocence Project. A few weeks later on September 14, 2020, the court vacated his wrongful convictions and the State dropped the charges against Robert DuBoise in a virtual hearing, exonerating him after 37 years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. This is the first type of audit to be done by a CRU. The Medical Examiner also identified what was thought to be a human bite-mark on the victims cheek. DuBoise will be the 171st documented death-row exoneration in the U.S. since 1973. Judge Christopher. 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. As part of this effort, both parties worked collaboratively to re-investigate this crime. Mr. No one else has been arrested for her murder. He was convicted of her murder and initially sentenced to death. Souviron, whose practice is in Coral Gables, Florida, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment on the DuBoise case on Saturday. Keep up the good work Innocence Project! Souviron also allegedly said that If the detectives say he did it, I am going to go in there and say he did it., Souviron created a mold of DuBoises teeth using beeswax, which the complaint says was scientifically unreliable and only used because another officer in the Tampa Police Department operated a honey business on the side.. Grams was raped and beaten to death while walking home from her job at a restaurant on Aug. 19, 1983. 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. 2020, Robert DuBoise was resentenced to life for the innocent by sharing the latest news from the Project... Lambe is a journalist at Law & crime today, finally.. A.. 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