After spending nearly four decades in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Robert DuBoise is on the brink of receiving a $14 million settlement from the city of Tampa. The Tampa City Council will vote Thursday to approve the payout that acknowledges the wrong done to DuBoise, who was just 18 years old when he was wrongfully convicted of the 1983 rape and murder of 19-year-old Barbara Grams, as per the information from ABC News.
Initially condemned to death before it was commuted to a life sentence, it took until 2018 and the dedicated efforts of the Innocence Project for DuBoise's case to be reconsidered. Having his conviction overturned was based on DNA evidence, not available in the 1980s, which implicated two other men who are currently awaiting trial. DuBoise, 59, sued the city, several police officers, and a forensic dentist whose testimony regarding bite mark evidence was crucial in the original conviction. This lawsuit, settled on January 11 according to details reported by WSVN, ensured the compensation for DuBoise's decades of injustice.
"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 Chicago-based Loevy & Loevy civil rights law firm representing DuBoise shared in a statement. They are known for handling multiple wrongful conviction cases nationwide. DuBoise's payment is structured to provide $9 million this year, followed by $3 million next year and $2 million in 2026, according to city documents.
In the years following the disastrous mistake that imprisoned DuBoise, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw highlighted that detectives now undergo better training and technology has substantially improved investigative practices. "We recognize the profound and lasting effects of this case, especially on Mr. DuBoise nearly four decades later," Bercaw said, pointing to reforms. The forensic dentist, during DuBoise's lawsuit, recanted his original testimony, admitting the flawed nature of bite mark comparison – a key part of the wrongful conviction, as noted by the resolution from the city council about the settlement.
Barbara Grams's death remains a somber chapter in Tampa's history. However, the settlement frames a step toward justice for DuBoise, who upon his release from prison in August 2020 said, "I prayed to God every day and hoped for it,” according to an interview by ABC News. At a subsequent court hearing where the charges were finally dismissed, DuBoise acknowledged his changed perception of the legal system, telling WSVN, “There are really true-hearted people in these offices now. It’s been amazing. I’m just very grateful to all of you.”
