Inset: Timothy Dubois (Collinsville Police Department). Background: The Illinois Starbucks where the abduction took place (KTVI/YouTube).
A man from Illinois has been sentenced to more than 100 years in prison after kidnapping a woman at knifepoint from a Starbucks parking area, subsequently assaulting her on Veterans Day. During the incident, he claimed entitlement to the act by stating, “I deserve this,” because of his military service.
Timothy Dubois, aged 42, received a sentence encompassing 40 years for one charge of aggravated criminal sexual assault, an additional 40 years for a second charge of the same, 30 years for aggravated kidnapping, followed by two five-year terms for counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Dubois is mandated to complete at least 68 years of the 120-year punishment handed to him. His defense team had requested leniency due to his status as a military veteran.
“We have successfully removed a monster from the streets today,” remarked Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm. He shared this sentiment with the local media, including Fox affiliate KTVI, following the conclusion of Dubois’ sentencing.
Dubois abducted his victim on Nov. 11, 2022, from a Starbucks parking lot in Collinsville. He got into the victim’s car “with a large knife” and ordered her to drive to a residential area in Troy, where he sexually assaulted her, according to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Dubois then drove the woman back to the Collinsville business district, “put a coat over the victim’s head, ordered her to count to 100, and vanished,” an SAO press release says, announcing Dubois’ sentence.
“Do you know what today is? It’s Veterans Day,” Dubois told the woman after abducting her, according to court testimony reported by KTVI. “I deserve this because I’m a veteran.”
A Madison County jury convicted Dubois in May. During his trial, the victim testified that she feared he would kill her.
“The victim was not familiar with the Troy location, but investigators were able to track the movement of her Apple Watch to a general area,” the SAO release says. “Investigators combed the area and, on a gravel roadway in Troy, found a discarded condom. The condom contained male DNA and the DNA of the victim. The male DNA, however, did not match any profiles in a police database.”
Collinsville police investigators used Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy to come up with a list of close relatives of the male DNA profile, according to prosecutors, with the information eventually leading authorities to Dubois.
“Today’s sentence brings a measure of justice for a victim who endured an unimaginable ordeal,” Boerm said in a separate statement. “While no sentence can erase the trauma that was inflicted, we hope this outcome provides some sense of closure and reassurance that the person responsible has been held accountable.”