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Man serving life for murder cleared after 37 years thanks to DNA analysis, state attorney says

Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said there is "not one shred of evidence" that Robert DuBoise is guilty of murder and attempted rape.

TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa man serving a life sentence for murder has been cleared of his conviction thanks to a new analysis of DNA evidence.

Robert DuBoise was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted sexual battery in the 1983 killing of 19-year-old Barbara Grams. Grams was found by Tampa police, beaten to death behind a dental practice. DuBoise was also 19 at the time of the murder.

State Attorney Andrew Warren said that there is "not one shred of evidence" that DuBoise is guilty of the crime.

"For 37 years we've had an innocent man locked up for a crime he did not commit but the real perpetrator was never held accountable for this horrific murder," Warren said. "I apologize to Mr. DuBoise on behalf of the entire criminal justice system."

RELATED: Judge grants release of Tampa man cleared of murder after nearly 37 years

The State Attorney's Office said DNA analysis was not as advanced in 1983, so rape kit samples taken from Grams were stored away. And, the office said evidence from DuBoise's trial was presumed to have been destroyed in 1990.

In August 2020, however, Conviction Review Supervising Attorney Teresa Hall found rape kit samples that were not used during the trial at the Medical Examiner's Office. Sent for DNA testing, the results showed that "DuBoise's DNA was not present in the samples."

The results did identify two other men, one considered a "major contributor" and the other a "minor contributor." Warren said the "major contributor" is now a person of interest in the now-opened investigation, but he is not able to provide further details on that person.

Credit: State Attorney's Office

Warren said to key pieces led to DuBoise's murder conviction: bite mark evidence on Gram's body and jail informant testimony. However, Warren said the CRU team determined there was "clear and convincing evidence" to reject both of those elements trying DuBoise to the crime.

"We continue to investigate who murdered Barbara Grams in 1983," Warren said.

Warren said he also apologizes to the family of Grams "for the injustice they suffered."

The state attorney said his office is filing a motion to get DuBoise released immediately and that he could be released as early as Thursday morning.

"We plan to work with the Innocence Project to have Mr. DuBoise fully exonerated and officially reverse his conviction," Warren said.

Credit: State Attorney's Office

The Conviction Review Unit was set up by Warren to investigate and remedy wrongful convictions. The goal, the office said, "is to ensure that innocent citizens are not punished for crimes they did not commit while actual perpetrators remain free."

The CRU has a team of attorneys, investigators and support staff that review claims alongside and independent review panel of legal experts outside the State Attorney's Office. If the CRU staff identify a wrongful conviction, the State Attorney's Office works to remedy the conviction.

Back in May, the CRU launched a new website to gather tips, called Innocence Files Tampa. Warren said then that he hopes people watching the Netflix series "The Innocent Files" will want to come forward with possible information on local cases.

The website is a collaboration between the office and the Innocence Project.

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