Timothy Dubois, a 42-year-old Illinois man, was sentenced Thursday to 120 years in prison after a Madison County jury convicted him of abducting a woman at knifepoint from a Starbucks parking lot and sexually assaulting her on Veterans Day 2022. During the attack, Dubois allegedly told his victim it was his "right" because he had served in the military.
Background
On Nov. 11, 2022, Dubois approached the victim in the Collinsville Starbucks parking lot with a large knife, got into her car, and ordered her to drive him to a residential area in Troy, Illinois, according to the Madison County State's Attorney's Office. After the assault, Dubois drove the victim back toward downtown Collinsville, placed a coat over her head, instructed her to count to 100, and disappeared.
"Do you know what today is? It's Veterans Day," Dubois allegedly told his captive during the abduction, according to court testimony reported by KTVI. "I deserve this because I'm a veteran."
After Dubois fled, the victim managed to alert authorities. Investigators later recovered her Apple Watch movement data, which led them to search the Troy area where they found a discarded condom on a gravel roadway. DNA analysis confirmed genetic material from both Dubois and his victim.
The Investigation
The breakthrough came through Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, an investigative technique that uses genetic databases to identify suspects by comparing crime scene DNA with relatives' profiles. Police had obtained male DNA from the recovered condom, but it did not match any profiles in law enforcement databases. By tracing familial connections through genealogy databases, investigators narrowed their search and eventually identified Dubois as a suspect.
Collinsville police arrested Dubois following the investigative breakthrough. During his May trial, the victim testified that she feared he would kill her during the attack. Defense attorneys reportedly requested leniency at sentencing due to Dubois' military service record—a request the court ultimately rejected.
"We put a monster away today," Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm told local media following Thursday's sentencing hearing.
Key Takeaways
- Timothy Dubois sentenced to 120 years total: two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault (40 years each), aggravated kidnapping (30 years), and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse (5 years each)
- Must serve minimum 68 years before becoming eligible for parole
- Crime occurred Nov. 11, 2022 — Veterans Day — in Collinsville, Illinois
- Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy cracked the case when traditional DNA database searches failed to produce a match
- Dubois allegedly justified the attack by telling his victim he "deserved" sexual assault because of his military service
What's Next
Dubois will serve his sentence at an Illinois Department of Corrections facility. The case represents one of several recent convictions secured through advances in genetic genealogy technology, which has allowed investigators to solve previously unsolvable crimes years after DNA evidence was collected.