A resident of Tampa, Florida, who spent 37 years in prison for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl, was found not guilty thanks to DNA testing.
According to prosecutor Andrew Warren, evidence previously believed to be lost confirmed that Robert Dubois, 55, was not involved in the death of Barbara Grams in 1983. Warren worked with the New York-based Innocence Project to conduct a joint investigation for 11 months — before they could find evidence of Dubois' innocence.
In 1983, Grams was assaulted while returning home from a shopping mall shift. The girl was raped and beaten with a wooden stick: in the morning her body was discovered by a gardener who worked at a local dental clinic.
This is a photo of Barbara Grams, who was just 19 when she was beaten to death. @wfla pic.twitter.com/43lU00WFdT
— victoria price (@WFLAVictoria) August 26, 2020
The prosecution argued that Dubois, his brother and another man kidnapped the girl together, abusing her and leaving her body behind the clinic. The other two suspects were not charged, while Dubois was arrested a few months after the murder. He was sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life in prison.
After all the evidence was allegedly destroyed, the Innocence Project managed to find a set of rape samples. Tests showed that neither Robert nor two of his alleged accomplices had anything to do with Grams' death — however, they gave the investigation two new suspects. One of them was identified, but the police have not disclosed his identity so far.
At the moment, the Innocence Project is seeking the early release of Dubois.
