Edwardsville, Illinois — A Madison County jury found Timothy J. Dubois, a 42-year-old Fayette County man, guilty of abducting a woman at knifepoint from the parking lot of a Collinsville Starbucks and forcing her to drive to Troy, where he raped her, State’s Attorney Tom Haine said today.
The verdict followed a little more than an hour of jury deliberations, Haine said. Dubois, of Shobonier, was convicted 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 a Starbucks, according to prosecutors. 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 left.
“The unknown assailant was gone,” Buettner told jurors in her closing argument. “But not without a trace.”
Buettner 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 extracted 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,” prosecutors said.
Using the location data, police canvassed a residential area of Troy, where a Collinsville investigator found a discarded condom on a secluded gravel driveway, according to prosecutors. The condom contained male DNA, but there were no matches in a law enforcement database, prosecutors said.
Collinsville police then used forensic genetic genealogy to develop a list of close relatives of the unknown DNA profile, which eventually led them to Dubois, prosecutors said. Haine said 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.”
Haine said police work was also critical.
“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 assisting agencies, including the Troy Police Department, Illinois State Police, the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Jefferson County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, the Illinois Secretary of State Police, the Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center, the Vandalia Police Department, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System and the 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. Circuit Judge Tim Berkley presided at the trial.
The victim testified that she feared for her life. She said she asked the abductor whether 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, the abductor then told her: “I lied.”
Dubois will be sentenced later, and he faces up to 80 years in prison, Haine said.
Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm said in a 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,” Boerm said. “They worked relentlessly to ensure the victim received justice and that our community was safe.”
Boerm added, “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.”
