An Illinois resident faces a 120-year prison sentence after being convicted of kidnapping a woman from a Starbucks parking lot and then sexually assaulting her at knifepoint.
Timothy Dubois Jr. was convicted on charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. These charges were confirmed by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office as detailed in a July 9 press release.
On the morning of November 11, 2022, at approximately 7 a.m., an unnamed victim was waiting in her car at the Collinsville coffee shop. Dubois Jr., disguised and armed with a large serrated knife, forcefully entered her vehicle, according to a search warrant obtained by Oxygen.
He commanded her to drive to a residential location in Troy, where he wielded the knife and coerced her into undressing, subsequently assaulting her, as specified in the warrant.
Dubois Jr. then returned the victim to a parking lot at Wendy’s in Collinsville, covered her head with a coat, and instructed her to count to 100 before escaping.
The woman later told authorities, per the warrant, that Dubois Jr. said he had been watching her before entering her car.
Authorities tracked the woman’s location through her cellphone and Apple Watch to a residential driveway in Troy, where they found a used condom containing her DNA as well as that of an unknown male, prosecutors said.
While the DNA didn’t match anyone in a police database, genetic genealogy led investigators to Dubois Jr. through his relatives, marking the first time the method was used in a Madison County prosecution.
Dubois Jr. was arrested on March 6, 2023, and held without bond, according to court documents obtained by Oxygen.
Later, Dubois Jr. told prosecutors that his victim “could’ve been anyone” and that he only selected her because she was alone, according to KSDK.
During his trial earlier this year, the victim said she feared for her life. Jurors also listened to a recorded confession during which Dubois Jr. said he chose Starbucks because “that’s where all the women go,” according to Fox 2.
The victim testified that Dubois Jr. told her he “deserved to have” her on Veteran’s Day—when the attack occurred—because he was a veteran.
In fact, the defense argued that Dubois Jr. deserved a lighter sentence due to him serving his country, according to Fox 2.
Before the judge read his fate, Dubois Jr. stared into the courtroom camera, according to Fox 2. Afterward, when the judge asked Dubois Jr. if he had any remarks to share, he said, “no.”
He will remain in prison for a minimum of 68 years before he is eligible for release, prosecutors said.
Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm later said the victim “endured an unimaginable ordeal.”
“While no sentence can erase the trauma that was inflicted,” he said in the release, “we hope this outcome provides some sense of closure and reassurance that the person responsible has been held accountable.”