Utah Man Released on Bail After DNA Excludes Him From 1985 Murder Evidence

Overview

• A judge ordered Douglas Stewart Carter freed on bail on Monday after new DNA results filed with the court excluded him as the source of material found on a doorknob and the handle of the murder weapon.
• The DNA report, received by the court on Sept. 22, weakened the physical-evidence case that once tied Carter to the 1985 killing of Eva Olesen and led the judge to set conditions for his release.
• The Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial last year after finding multiple instances of intentional misconduct by police and a prosecutor in the original investigation and prosecution.
• Carter, now in his early 70s, spent about four decades in prison much of that time on death row and was freed under GPS monitoring with a no-contact order for the victim’s family.
• Prosecutors have declined to seek the death penalty again and are reviewing remaining evidence while defense lawyers press to dismiss the homicide charge and point to recanted witness statements and allegedly suppressed leads to other suspects.