TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa City Council on Thursday approved a $14 million settlement regarding the federal lawsuit between Robert DuBoise and the city, after he spent nearly four decades behind bars for a murder he didn't commit.
DuBoise said after the vote, "I am grateful that with this settlement that this case is done and I can move on with my life. Money, a house, nothing can make up for the time that I lost in prison."
Gayle Horn, one of DuBoise's attorneys at Loevy + Loevy, said in a statement, "We are glad that Tampa brought a bit of justice and closure to Robert today. This settlement acknowledges the immeasurable harm Robert endured, and will allow him to move forward with his life."
Chief Lee Bercaw said on behalf of the Tampa Police Department, "We recognize the profound and lasting effects of this case, especially on Mr. DuBoise nearly four decades later. Advancements in training and technology have significantly enhanced the Tampa Police Department's capacity for conducting investigations, ensuring greater accuracy and due process for all."
“The credibility of our criminal justice system requires scrupulous accuracy and adherence to the highest investigation standards. Today’s Tampa Police Department is light years ahead of where we were four decades ago in technology and training. We hope this settlement helps Mr. DuBoise in his healing," Mayor Jane Castor said on behalf of the City of Tampa.
According to the resolution, the money will be paid in installments of $9 million in 2024, $3 million in 2025, and $2 million in 2026 from the city’s insurance fund.
During Thursday's meeting, Tampa City Council members recognized no amount of money could replace how much was lost.
"How would you feel if you were in jail for 14,600 days, and every one of them damn days you knew you were innocent? What did you miss?" said Council Member Charlie Miranda. "You miss 7/8 of your life that's gone away. The most productive years of your life are gone, and every day you slept in that bunk, you told yourself it wasn’t me.”
“It’s never too late to do the right thing, and I believe that’s what us as a city are standing up and doing. We're doing the right thing," said Council Member Alan Clendenin.
“Mr. DuBoise gave the majority of his life for this, and this is the least we can do," said Council Member Lynn Hurtak.
DuBoise walked free in August of 2020, after an 11-month investigation by the Conviction Review Unit of the State Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with the Innocence Project, determined he was innocent.
DNA evidence leading to the release of DuBoise identified two other men in the murder and rape of Barbara Grams—Amos Robinson and Abron Scott, according to former State Attorney Andrew Warren.
“I’m just happy to get home to my family," he said on his release day in 2020. "It’s a beautiful day.”
DuBoise admitted he was weary that anything would happen in the case since there have been a lot of let-downs in the past. He said parole hearings were especially hard.
"The lady says to tell me something about the case. And I said, listen, I know what you’re looking for; you’re looking for remorse. I said I can’t tell you I’m remorseful for something I didn’t do," he said.
An article by Heather Leigh in September of 2020 launched several attempts in Tallahassee to get DuBoise state compensation for his wrongful conviction. In 2023, those efforts finally paid off. Governor Ron Desantis signed a bill that would award him $1.25 million.
That compensation was held up by a Florida Law called Clean Hands. It bars someone from being compensated due to a previous conviction.
In DuBoise's case, it was two minor crimes he served probation for when he was a teen. In 1983, not long after those minor crimes, he was accused of Barbara Grams' murder.
“That was the one thing I was hopeful for all of these years is just proving my innocence. That’s what was really important that everybody knew I didn’t do it," DuBoise said to Heather in February 2021.
