Haine announces guilty verdict for man who abducted woman from Starbucks’ parking lot, sexually assaulted her

May be first case in Madison County to use genealogical DNA in criminal case

By Charles Bolinger

Editor • Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced on May 7 that a jury has found a 42-year-old Fayette County man guilty of abducting a woman from the parking lot of a Collinsville coffee shop at knifepoint and forcing her to drive to Troy, where he raped her.

The jury deliberated a little more than an hour before finding Timothy J. Dubois of Shobonier guilty of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault (Class X enhanced felony), aggravated criminal sexual assault (Class X felony), Aggravated Kidnapping (Class X felony) and Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse (Class 2 felony).

The victim was abducted about 7 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2022, from the parking lot of  the Collinsville Starbucks. A man dressed in black got into her car, displayed a large knife and ordered her to drive to a quiet residential area of Troy, where he sexually assaulted her.

Assistant State’s Attorney Rebecca Buettner told jurors the assailant then drove the victim back to the Collinsville business district, put a coat over the victim’s head, ordered her to count to 100, and vanished.

“The unknown assailant was gone,” Buettner told jurors in her closing argument. “But not without a trace.”

The prosecutor said Collinsville Police, with assistance from multiple agencies, “used the tools they had” to make breakthroughs in a monthslong investigation.

The victim was unfamiliar with the location of the sexual assault. But investigators were able to extract location data from the victim’s Apple watch, even though the attacker had turned off the victim’s iPhone in an apparent attempt to conceal their movements.

Using the location data, police began a canvas of a residential area of Troy. There, on a secluded gravel driveway, a Collinsville investigator found a discarded condom.

The condom contained male DNA, but there were no matches in the law enforcement database. Collinsville Police then used Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy to come up with a list of close relatives of the unknown DNA profile. That information eventually led them to Dubois.

It is believed to be the first time forensic genealogical DNA has been employed in a criminal investigation and prosecution in Madison County.

“The use of forensic genealogical DNA marked a major advancement in this investigation,” Haine said. “This emerging technology gave investigators a path forward when other leads had been exhausted and ultimately helped bring justice to the victim.”

But Haine noted that determined police work was just as crucial to the investigation and successful prosecution.

“It took both to solve this case and bring this predator to justice,” Haine said. “It also took technological expertise – extracting the location data from the Apple watch. Once the detectives had a general location, they burned shoe leather: canvassing the neighborhood in Troy, knocking on doors, scouring the area for evidence and ultimately finding the critical piece of evidence, the condom.”

Haine commended the Collinsville Police Department and the multiple agencies that assisted in the investigation:

• Troy Police Department
  
• Illinois State Police
  
• Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois
  
• St. Louis County Police Department
  
• Jefferson County, MO Sheriff’s Department
  
• Illinois Attorney General’s Office
  
• Illinois Secretary of State Police
  
• Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center
  
• Vandalia Police Department
  
• Fayette County Sheriff’s Office
  
• Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System
  
• Belleville Police Department
  

“This was a thorough, painstaking, and textbook investigation carried out by dedicated investigators,” Haine said. “Their work allowed our prosecution team to present a detailed picture to the jury.”

The case was prosecuted by Buettner and First Assistant State’s Attorney Ali Foley. Haine also praised the courage of the victim throughout the prosecution of the case.

“While no conviction can erase the trauma suffered by the victim, today’s outcome represents justice and accountability,” Haine said. “We remain committed to standing with victims and pursuing those who commit violent crimes in our community.”

The victim, in her testimony, said she feared for her life. She said she asked the abductor if he planned to hurt or rape her and the abductor replied that he did not. The victim testified that when they reached the location in Troy, Dubois then told her: “I lied.”

Circuit Judge Tim Berkley presided at the trial. Dubois will be sentenced later. He faces up to 80 years in prison. 

Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm issued the following statement:

“Our detectives never gave up on this case. Even when the investigation presented challenges, they continued pursuing every avenue available until the evidence led us to the defendant. This case deeply impacted our community, and our investigators took that responsibility seriously from Day One. They worked relentlessly to ensure the victim received justice and that our community was safe.

“Our message to the community is clear: this department will go to great lengths to protect our citizens and pursue those who commit violent crimes. Whether it requires advanced technology, breakthroughs in science, coordination with other agencies, or countless hours of investigative work, we will use every available resource to identify offenders and hold them accountable.”