Utah man freed on bail after DNA evidence excludes him from 1985 murder

Douglas Stewart Carter, 71, was granted bail on Monday after prosecutors announced that recent DNA analysis did not link him to the 1985 murder of Eva Olesen in Provo, Utah. Carter had spent 41 years on death row following a conviction based largely on a confession he later described as coerced and testimony from two witnesses who later claimed they were paid and threatened by police.

The Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial last year, citing investigative misconduct, and a judge approved the bail despite objections from the victim’s family. Carter must wear a GPS monitor while out of custody.

Eva Olesen, the aunt of a local police chief, was stabbed multiple times and shot in the head at her home. Although police originally suspected Carter, who was living with his mother in Utah at the time, witnesses later recanted, saying they had been instructed to lie in court.

Lawyers for Carter argue that an eyewitness described a white suspect fleeing the scene and that evidence implicating Olesen’s husband was suppressed. Prosecutors this month confirmed that DNA from a doorknob and the knife handle did not match Carter.

"We have serious concerns about his release and believe he should remain in jail while awaiting a new trial," said Theresa Olesen, a daughter-in-law of the victim.

The case remains pending as the legal system re-examines the evidence that led to Carter’s original death-penalty conviction.