Inset: Timothy Dubois (Collinsville Police Department). Background: The Illinois Starbucks where Timothy Dubois abducted his victim (KTVI/YouTube).
An Illinois man has received a 120-year prison sentence for abducting a woman at knifepoint from a Starbucks parking lot and raping her on Veterans Day, after prosecutors said he told the victim he “deserved” the assault because he had served in the military.
Timothy Dubois, 42, was sentenced to 40 years on one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, another 40 years on a second count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, 30 years for aggravated kidnapping, and five years each on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
In all, Dubois was handed a 120-year sentence and must serve at least 68 years. His attorneys reportedly sought leniency from the court, citing his status as a military veteran.
Following the sentencing hearing, Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm praised the outcome in remarks to local Fox affiliate KTVI and other media outlets. “We put a monster away today,” Boerm said.
The attack began on Nov. 11, 2022, in Collinsville, where Dubois approached the victim in a Starbucks parking lot and got into her vehicle while armed “with a large knife,” according to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office. He forced her to drive to a residential area in Troy, where prosecutors said he sexually assaulted her.
Afterward, Dubois drove the woman back to the Collinsville business district, placed a coat over her head, ordered her to count to 100, and fled, according to an SAO press release announcing the sentence.
Court testimony reported by KTVI detailed what Dubois allegedly said to the woman after the abduction: “Do you know what today is? It’s Veterans Day,” he told her. “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.”
