Overview
- Citing a DNA report received on Sept. 22, prosecutors said the tests excluded Carter as the source of blood on a doorknob and genetic material on a knife handle, and they withdrew their notice to seek the death penalty.
- Fourth District Judge Derek Pullan granted bail and ordered strict conditions that include GPS monitoring and a no-contact order with the victim’s family while the criminal charge remains pending.
- Carter, 71, spent roughly 41 years in custody after a 1985 conviction that relied on a signed confession he says was coerced and testimony from two witnesses who later said police paid and pressured them to lie.
- Defense lawyers say investigators suppressed leads that pointed to other suspects, including the victim’s husband, and they have asked the court to dismiss charges or find Carter actually innocent; prosecutors say the remaining circumstantial evidence will be reviewed.
- The release starts Carter’s difficult reentry and keeps the case unresolved, with lawyers and family members awaiting further forensic review and the state deciding whether to move forward with the retrial set for 2027.