37 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit

An American from Florida who was convicted of murder and rape, and spent 37 years in prison, was found innocent through DNA tests.

Hillborough State Attorney Andree Warren told reporters that DNA analysis solved the case of Robert Duboise, who was sentenced in 1983 to 37 years in prison for raping and killing 19-year-old Barbara Grams.

Warren characterised the occasion as very painful and tragic.

He said the evidence, thought to have been lost, confirmed that 55-year-old Robert Duboise did not do the crime in 1983, and said the truth was found as a result of a review of DNA evidence, as part of the New York Independence Project. <

“in 2016, I promised to establish a Unit for the Review of Obedience to investigate suspicious decisions. Today, we started the process of releasing a man who was sentenced to 37 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, and we're looking for the real killer,” said Warren.

A local newspaper in Florida reported that Robert Duboise, who was tried for a crime he did not commit, was originally sentenced to death in 1983, but that a judge later imposed a life sentence.