The woman described fearing for her life after a stranger entered her vehicle with a knife and forced her to drive away.
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — More than three years after a stranger abducted her from a busy shopping area, a woman’s testimony helped a Madison County jury convict the man responsible before a judge sentenced him to 120 years in prison.
The woman, whose identity has not been publicly released, told jurors that she feared Timothy J. Dubois Jr. would kill her after he entered her vehicle with a large knife on Nov. 11, 2022. She had been waiting for an order near a Starbucks in Collinsville when Dubois forced her to drive to Troy, where prosecutors said he sexually assaulted her. Her account gave jurors a direct description of the threat, the forced drive and the isolation of being taken to an unfamiliar place. It also preserved the distinction between what she personally experienced and what investigators later learned through digital records, DNA evidence and statements attributed to Dubois.
The woman testified that Dubois referred to being a military veteran and claimed his service entitled him to assault her because it was Veterans Day. The statement later became relevant at sentencing, when defense attorneys asked Circuit Judge Tim Berkley to consider Dubois’ military background as a factor supporting a lower prison term. Prosecutors argued that the same background had been invoked during the crime to frighten and demean the victim. They urged the judge not to treat it as a reason for leniency. Berkley imposed the 120-year sentence July 9, about two months after jurors convicted Dubois of aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
The case placed the woman at the center of a legal process that extended well beyond the night of the attack. She reported the crime, described what she could remember, assisted investigators and later testified in open court. Prosecutors said her cooperation remained essential even as forensic evidence gave police an independent way to identify the attacker.
The abduction began while she was alone in her vehicle. Prosecutors said Dubois approached the vehicle, entered with a knife and ordered her to drive away from the Collinsville commercial district. The use of a weapon and the movement to another community left the woman believing that she might not be allowed to return.
She did not know Dubois and had not been selected because of a prior relationship, according to the evidence presented at trial. Prosecutors described the attack as random in the sense that Dubois did not choose a particular known person. Instead, he looked for a woman who was alone and could be controlled without immediate interference.
In a recorded statement played for jurors, Dubois discussed going to the coffee shop area because he believed women would be there. He also acknowledged that the person he selected could have been anyone who happened to be alone, according to trial reporting. The admission supported the state’s argument that he had searched for an opportunity rather than acted during an unplanned personal dispute.
After the assault in Troy, prosecutors said Dubois drove the woman’s vehicle back toward Collinsville. He placed a coat over her head and ordered her to count to 100 while he left. The instruction appeared designed to delay her response and keep her from seeing where he went. She nevertheless contacted authorities and described the attack. One of the immediate challenges was that she could not identify the exact Troy location. She had been taken there under threat, in an unfamiliar area and without the freedom to observe the route as an ordinary driver or passenger would.
Investigators used location information stored on her Apple Watch to narrow the search. Her iPhone had been turned off, according to trial accounts, but the watch retained movement data pointing toward a general part of Troy. Officers then searched roads and properties for evidence that could connect the reported assault to a physical location.
On a secluded gravel roadway, an investigator found a discarded condom. Laboratory testing identified DNA from the woman and an unknown man, authorities said. The male profile did not match anyone in the standard law enforcement database, leaving investigators without the direct identification they had hoped to obtain.
Police then used forensic investigative genetic genealogy. The technique can identify possible relatives of an unknown DNA contributor and help detectives develop a family-based lead. Investigators researched those relationships and eventually focused on Dubois, while continuing to collect evidence that could support or disprove the connection.
Prosecutors did not present the genealogical lead as a substitute for the woman’s testimony. Instead, it became one part of a broader case that included her account, the location records, the recovered biological evidence, surveillance material and Dubois’ recorded statements.
The trial required the woman to recount the attack in a courtroom while Dubois exercised his right to contest the charges. She described her fear and the statements he made during the assault. Jurors then evaluated her testimony alongside the forensic and investigative evidence presented by the state.
After deliberating for a little more than an hour, the jury found Dubois guilty of all counts submitted to it. The verdict established his criminal responsibility in the trial court and moved the case to sentencing, where the defense and prosecution argued over the proper punishment.
Berkley imposed 80 years for two aggravated criminal sexual assault convictions, 30 years for aggravated kidnapping and 10 years for two aggravated criminal sexual abuse convictions, according to court reporting. Some portions run at the same time, while others must be served consecutively. The combined judgment was announced as 120 years. Under the applicable Illinois sentencing rules, Dubois must serve at least about 68 years. Prosecutors described the result as an effective life sentence given his age at the time of sentencing.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine said the punishment could protect other members of the public and provide legal accountability. He also acknowledged that the court could not return the time the woman spent dealing with the consequences of the attack, the investigation and the prosecution. Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm similarly described the outcome as a measure of justice rather than a complete resolution of the harm. A conviction can answer the legal question of guilt and a sentence can impose consequences, but neither can erase what a survivor experienced or guarantee that the effects end when a court proceeding closes.
Authorities said the woman had married shortly before the trial concluded. Officials cited the personal milestone while discussing the years that had passed since the attack. They otherwise continued to withhold identifying information, consistent with the practice of protecting survivors of sexual assault.
The case also showed how survivor testimony and forensic evidence can support different parts of a prosecution. Her account explained the threats, the forced movement and the statements made during the attack. The digital and biological evidence helped investigators locate the scene and identify the man responsible. Neither type of evidence stood entirely alone. The watch data did not describe the crime, and the genealogy process did not explain the woman’s fear or the conduct inside the vehicle. Her testimony supplied the human account of what happened, while the physical evidence helped verify the location and connect the attack to Dubois.
Dubois may pursue post-trial motions or an appeal under Illinois law. Unless the judgment is overturned or modified, the guilty verdicts and the 120-year sentence remain in effect, leaving him required to serve decades in prison before completing the minimum term.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 5, 2026.