‍

Blake, Wm. Night VI, object 248. 1795.

‍

A man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 37 years will receive $14 million from Tampa. Robert DuBoise was convicted at 18 years old for rape and murder but was released in 2020 after DNA evidence pointed to other suspects.

DuBoise later 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 last month, but the Tampa City Council finally approved it last week.

The settlement will be paid in increments: $9 million this year, $3 million the next, and $2 million in 2026. 

DuBoise: “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. I already spent 40 years of my life dealing with it. I prayed to God every day and hoped for it.”

Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw: “We recognize the profound and lasting effects of this case, especially on Mr. DuBoise nearly four decades later.”