In a recent development in Utah, USA, a male death row inmate has been granted release after 41 years of incarceration. This decision came after new DNA analysis excluded his match with key forensic evidence on September 28. The case, marred by allegations of improper police investigation and witness recantations, is set to be retried in 2027.
According to ABC News, Douglas Stewart Carter, now 71 years old, was sentenced to death for a murder case in 1985. Carter was accused of killing Eva Olesen in Provo, Utah, who was the aunt of the then Police Chief in Provo. Olesen was found stabbed 10 times in her home, with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Carter has maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal. However, after his arrest in Nashville, Tennessee, he signed a confession during interrogation by Provo police, claiming later that he confessed under duress from repeated threats by the authorities.
There was no direct physical evidence linking Carter to the crime scene. The jury primarily relied on this confession and testimonies from two witnesses to convict him. These witnesses alleged that Carter had boasted about killing Olesen.
In 2011, these two witnesses were found in Mexico. They confessed that police had offered them cash and gifts, and threatened to have them and their children deported if they did not incriminate Carter.
The Utah Supreme Court in 2025 found evidence of multiple instances of intentional misconduct by the police and a prosecutor during the investigation of this case and ordered a retrial.
The defense also pointed out that there were witnesses who saw a white man fleeing the scene on the day of the murder. Investigators were also accused of suppressing evidence related to other suspects.
The latest DNA analysis results on September 22 excluded the possibility of Carter’s DNA matching the blood found on the door handle at the crime scene and substances on the handle of the knife used in Olesen’s stabbing.
Judge Derek Pullan stated that the DNA results further weaken the accusations against Carter, but it is still possible for the jury to consider him involved in the crime. Therefore, he has been granted bail but not acquitted of the charges.
Carter will be required to wear a GPS monitor and is prohibited from contacting Olesen’s family upon his release. His defense attorney Neal Hamilton highlighted that Carter’s release after 41 years of incarceration would require psychological therapy to address the trauma.
The prosecution withdrew their notice seeking the death penalty last week, and the case is scheduled for retrial in 2027.
Family members of the victim, Eva Olesen, are against Carter’s release. Theresa Olesen, her daughter-in-law, emphasized that the lack of DNA match does not prove Carter’s absence at the scene and the family still seeks justice for Eva.