EDWARDSVILLE — The trial of Timothy J. Dubois, of Shobonier, Illinois, continued Wednesday with the second day of testimony in the 2022 Collinsville kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual assault case.
The day began with testimony from the victim, who provided a detailed and emotional account of the events of Nov. 11, 2022.
She testified that while on her way to work in Collinsville, she stopped at the Starbucks located at 1077 Collinsville Crossing Blvd to pick up a mobile order. While waiting in the parking lot, she said a man entered the passenger side of her vehicle armed with a large knife and ordered her to drive.
According to her testimony, the suspect instructed her to get onto the highway. Unfamiliar with the area, as she lived in Missouri, she said she was unsure of her exact location while driving. She later noticed a Troy exit, where the suspect directed her to leave the highway.
The victim testified she feared for her life, believing she would be raped and killed. After exiting, she said the suspect directed her down an alley to a gravel lot, where he told her to stop. She testified that the suspect climbed on top of her and opened a condom, and sexually assaulted her.
After the assault, she said the suspect ordered her into the passenger seat and drove back toward the Collinsville Crossing area. He then parked near a Wendy’s, placed a jacket over her head, and fled on foot.
Once he left, the victim called 911. During her testimony, she was also asked to identify the suspect in the courtroom and identified Dubois.
Multiple law enforcement officials and investigators testified throughout the day:
Robert Power, an Illinois State Police crime scene investigator, testified that he processed the victim’s vehicle and collected a condom wrapper from the floorboard.
A St. Louis County Police intelligence detective testified that investigators were able to track the victim’s Apple Watch after the suspect forced her to turn off her phone. The watch data led them to a location in Troy.
Collinsville Police Detective Brad Akers testified that he responded to that location and, while canvassing the area, discovered a used condom in a gravel lot.
Collinsville Police Sgt. Josh Hunt testified that he reviewed surveillance footage and identified a blue Chevy Cruze leaving the area at a high rate of speed shortly before the victim called 911. He also testified that he took the victim back to the suspected location, where she said she was about 75% certain the assault occurred there.
Illinois State Police crime scene investigator Skylar Marlow testified that he collected and photographed the used condom at the scene.
Detective Mark Nardoni of the Jefferson County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Department testified that he conducted a photo lineup with the victim. Because she lived in Missouri, an outside agency was used to avoid bias. The victim identified Dubois during that lineup.
Detective Luna testified that cell phone data showed Dubois’ phone in the Collinsville and Troy areas around the time of the incident, before traveling back toward Shobonier, approximately an hour away. He also testified that a search warrant executed at Dubois’ residence led to the discovery of a blue Chevy Cruze matching the vehicle seen in surveillance footage.
The final witness of the day, a forensic scientist, testified that DNA recovered from both the condom wrapper and the used condom matched Dubois.
The prosecution is expected to rest its case, with the defense set to begin presenting its case Thursday morning.
Dubois faces two Class X felony counts of aggravated kidnapping, four Class X felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, and four Class 2 felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He remains in custody.
Authorities have stated the incident appears to have been random and that the victim did not know Dubois.
