Douglas Stewart Carter, a 71-year-old man from Chicago, has been released on bail after spending 41 years on death row in the US. He was convicted of killing Eva Olesen in Utah in 1985 and sentenced to death. However, prosecutors have since said that newly analysed DNA evidence does not link Carter to the crime. His defence team has long maintained that his confession was coerced, and the state Supreme Court ordered a new trial last year, citing misconduct by investigators.
Carter was arrested in 1985 after fleeing Utah, where he had been living with his mother. Police suspected him of killing Olesen during a robbery, and he signed a confession while under interrogation. However, he later recanted this confession, saying it was coerced. Despite there being no physical evidence linking Carter to the crime scene, he was convicted by a jury based on the confession and the testimony of two witnesses who said he had bragged about the murder.
The case against Carter began to unravel in 2011, when the two witnesses who testified against him came forward to say they had been coerced into lying. They claimed they were given cash and gifts by police and threatened with deportation if they did not testify against Carter. Carter's defence team also alleged that an investigator had suppressed evidence pointing to the victim's husband, Orla Olesen, who died in 2009.
In a significant development, prosecutors this month announced that DNA analysis had excluded Carter as a possible match to blood found on a doorknob and genetic material recovered from the handle of the knife used in the murder. The victim's stab wounds were caused by a knife from the Olesen's kitchen, which was discovered near her body. However, the gun used in the murder was not found at the scene.
Carter's release has been met with opposition from the victim's family, who expressed concerns about his freedom. Theresa Olesen, the daughter-in-law of Eva Olesen, said her family had "serious concerns" about Carter's release and wanted him to remain in jail while awaiting a new trial. However, Carter's defence attorney, Neal Hamilton, has called for the case to be dismissed, citing the misconduct by investigators.
The case highlights the potential for miscarriages of justice, particularly in capital cases. Carter's lawyers have argued that the prosecution's case was flawed from the start, and that key evidence was withheld or fabricated. The Utah Supreme Court's decision to order a new trial and Carter's subsequent release on bail have been seen as a significant step towards justice.
Carter is required to wear a GPS monitor while on bail. His case will likely continue to be closely watched, as prosecutors consider whether to retry him or drop the charges. The DNA evidence that cleared Carter has been seen as a major breakthrough in the case, and it remains to be seen how the prosecution will proceed.
Key points
- Douglas Stewart Carter was released on bail after 41 years on death row.
- DNA evidence excluded Carter as a possible match to blood found on a doorknob and genetic material recovered from the handle of the knife.
- Carter's defence team has alleged that investigators engaged in misconduct, including coercing witnesses and suppressing evidence.
