Douglas Stewart Carter, a 71-year-old man from Utah, has been released from prison after spending 41 years on death row for a murder he has always maintained he did not commit. Carter was sentenced to death in 1985 for the murder of Eva Olesen, a 53-year-old teacher, and has consistently claimed that his confession was obtained through police pressure and threats. New DNA testing has excluded Carter from genetic material found on crucial crime-scene evidence, leading to his release on bail.
The case dates back to February 27, 1985, when Olesen was found dead inside her Provo home, stabbed and shot with her hands tied behind her. Carter was arrested several months later in Nashville, Tennessee, and investigators obtained a confession from him, which became a major part of the prosecution's case. However, Carter has always maintained that his confession was false and that he signed it after being subjected to threats and pressure during questioning.
Two witnesses, Epifanio and Maria Tovar, testified that Carter had made statements implicating himself in Olesen's killing, but years later, they changed their accounts, stating that police had pressured them to implicate Carter and had threatened them with deportation and separation from their son. Court findings also determined that police provided them with financial assistance and that they were instructed to lie about receiving it. This new information has significantly weakened the case against Carter.
In 2025, the Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial after finding that serious misconduct by police officers and a prosecutor had violated Carter's constitutional rights. The court found that favourable evidence had been suppressed and that false testimony had not been corrected during the original proceedings. New DNA testing conducted in September 2026 excluded Carter from genetic material found on important pieces of evidence from the crime scene.
The DNA results did not identify who was responsible for Olesen's murder, but they provided evidence that Carter was not the source of the tested material. Following the DNA results, prosecutors withdrew their previous notice seeking the death penalty in Carter's planned retrial. However, the aggravated-murder charge remains pending, meaning Carter has not been formally exonerated and could still face trial again.
Carter's release came despite objections from Olesen's family, who continue to question his innocence and want the killing properly resolved. Judge Derek Pullan ordered Carter released on bail, saying the new DNA evidence further weakened the case against him. Carter must wear a GPS monitor and avoid contact with Olesen's family while he awaits his new trial, which is expected in 2027.
After spending most of his adult life behind bars, Carter now faces a different challenge: rebuilding a life at 71 while still fighting to clear his name. His son, Tyler Anger, who was adopted by another family as an infant, is now helping Carter adjust to life outside prison after more than four decades in custody. Carter's attorneys are pushing for the aggravated-murder charge to be dismissed altogether, arguing that the DNA evidence, the recantations by key witnesses, and the findings of police and prosecutorial misconduct have fundamentally undermined the case.
Key points
- Douglas Stewart Carter was sentenced to death at 29 for a murder he didn't commit and has been freed by DNA evidence after 41 years.
- New DNA testing excluded Carter from genetic material found on crucial crime-scene evidence, leading to his release on bail.
- Carter's case highlights the importance of DNA evidence in exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals.
