By Jones Gadama
A 71-year-old man who spent 41 years behind bars, much of it under a death sentence, has walked free after new DNA testing excluded him from the crime scene.
According to Utah News Dispatch and the Associated Press, Douglas Stewart Carter, now 71, was released on bail on Monday, 28th September 2026 from the Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork, Utah, after spending 15,085 days in custody.
Carter was 30 years old when he was arrested and convicted for the 1985 murder of Eva Olesen in Provo.
His conviction was later overturned after courts identified serious misconduct during the original investigation.
According to court filings from the 4th District Court in Provo and reports by the Times of India, new forensic testing has since excluded Carter as a match to blood found on a doorknob and genetic material recovered from the handle of a knife at the murder scene.
Following the new evidence, prosecutors have withdrawn their intention to seek the death penalty.
However, Carter has not been fully exonerated. According to his defence attorney Neal Hamilton, the aggravated-murder charge remains pending and he must wear a Global positioning system monitor( GPS monitor) while on bail. A new trial is currently scheduled for July 2027.
For now, Carter, who entered prison before the internet and mobile phones existed, must begin adjusting to a world that has changed beyond recognition during his four decades away.
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