> Tampa man wrongfully imprisoned for 37 years to get $14M settlement
Tampa man wrongfully imprisoned for 37 years to get $14M settlement
Clip ID 2478997
Clearance
Add to
Share
Add to Review Link
By Request
By Request assets are not available for immediate purchase.
This content has not been pre-checked for copyright.
Per clip rates are for 20 seconds of final usage. If you are using more then 20 seconds or need a different file format or have questions about clearances contact us
Description
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 voted unanimously Thursday to approve it and officially award the $14 million to DuBoise, now 59.
"I'm just glad that it's all over with, and I don't have to worry about court cases for the rest of my life," he told 10 Tampa Bay. "I already spent 40 years of my life dealing with it."
Council members said the money was the least the city could do for him.
“This was a big wrong,” said council member Luis Viera. “I hope and pray this settlement will give him some measure of comfort.”
DuBoise, who did not attend Thursday's meeting, 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.
MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/tampa-man-awarded-14m-compensation-wrongful-conviction/67-5fac4ed3-5ae5-4fd9-95b3-30a66b76dde2
►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube
►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/
►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay
►X: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay