UNITED STATES: After 41 Years On Death Row, Douglas Stewart Carter Walks Free As DNA Excludes Him
After 41 years behind bars, Douglas Stewart Carter is finally out.
Carter, 71, walked out of the Utah County Jail on Monday after a judge granted his request for bail. He spent much of his 41 years in prison on death row after being convicted of fatally stabbing 57-year-old Eva Olesen during a home robbery in Provo, Utah in 1985.
His conviction was overturned after new DNA testing excluded Carter from multiple samples collected at the crime scene.
Following the new evidence, prosecutors announced they would no longer seek the death penalty in his retrial and said they are now reassessing the remaining evidence in the case.
Carter’s attorney, Neal Hamilton, said: “We are profoundly grateful to see Doug finally go home, but we are also heartbroken by the theft of his life.
When Doug was arrested, he was a bright young man standing on the cusp of his future. He leaves custody a 71-year-old man hoping to enjoy what remains of the twilight years of his life.”
Carter’s new trial is currently scheduled to begin in July 2027.