Robert DuBoise: In connection with the homicide of 19-year-old Barbara Grams, Robert DuBoise, now 59, received a death sentence. They subsequently commuted his sentence to life in prison.
In 1983, Robert DuBoise was wrongfully incarcerated for 37 years on charges of rape and homicide. Tampa has decided to compensate him with $14 million.
DuBoise, 59, murdered Barbara Grams, 18, and initially received a death sentence of 18 years.
In 2020, authorities released DuBoise from prison because DNA testing was not available in the early 1980s. After filing a lawsuit, DuBoise sued Tampa, the investigators, and a forensic dentist whose teeth matched the bite mark.
As a result of recognizing a bite mark on Grams’ cheek, police got bite samples from other men, including DuBoise. Significantly, the surgeon created the incision scar using beeswax.
The forensic dentist concluded that DuBoise was responsible for the bite, even though he did not know Grams but frequently visited the area where they found her remains.
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The Tampa City Council voted to compensate DuBoise for $14 million.
On Thursday, the Tampa City Council voted to ratify the settlement and award DuBoise $14 million, even though they had resolved the lawsuit on January 11.
Council members expressed remorse for DuBoise’s unlawful incarceration and stated that the compensation is the bare minimum the municipality could do for him.
“This was a grave error. I hope and believe that this settlement will provide him with some measure of solace, according to Associated Press member Luis Viera of the council.
He was represented in the case by the Chicago-based civil rights firm Loevy & Loevy.
According to the law firm, the settlement acknowledges the harm that DuBoise suffered and gives him the chance to move on.
How did DuBoise feel regarding compensation?
DuBoise, an instructor at a country club near Tampa, indicated his interest in purchasing a home after Thursday’s vote.
“That signifies to me that it is at last over. “I’m relieved I won’t have to devote any more years of my life to this,” he said, as reported by AP. “Money, residences, automobiles—none of that can ever make up for what I’ve lost. Nothing makes me feel resentful toward it. “I have no desire to squander my time on melancholy and gatherings of pity.”
The DuBoise case brought about significant changes in investigators’ methods and training.
“Nearly four decades later, we acknowledge the profound and enduring consequences of this case, particularly for Mr. DuBoise,” he stated.
City documents state DuBoise will receive $9 million this year, $3 million in 2025, and $2 million in 2026.
