A 71-year-old man who spent more than four decades on death row has been granted bail after newly analysed DNA evidence reportedly failed to link him to the 1985 murder for which he was convicted.
Douglas Stewart Carter was sentenced to death in 1985 after being found guilty of murdering Eva Olesen, the aunt of the Provo police chief at the time.
Carter has consistently maintained his innocence and alleged that the confession used against him was coerced. No physical evidence directly linked him to the crime scene, while his conviction was largely based on the confession and testimony from two witnesses who claimed he had confessed to killing Olesen.
Last year, the Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial after finding misconduct by investigators.
Following the latest DNA analysis, prosecutors said the biological evidence did not match Carter, prompting a judge to order his release on bail while the case continues.
Carter is expected to stay in extended accommodation near the family of his son, who was adopted as a baby and only learned about his father’s conviction years later.
His lawyer, Neal Hamilton, said Carter would require therapy to cope with the psychological impact of spending 41 years incarcerated.
“He’s being released with 41 years of state-induced trauma, and the effect it will have on him is very real,” Hamilton said.