Utah judge releases Douglas Stewart Carter on bail

A Utah judge ordered Douglas Stewart Carter released on bail after prosecutors said DNA testing excluded him as a possible match to blood on a doorknob and genetic material on a knife handle in the 1985 killing of Eva Olesen. Carter, 71, had spent decades on death row. His release comes as prosecutors reassess the case and a retrial remains planned for 2027. Judge Derek Pullan ordered Carter to wear a GPS monitor and prohibited him from contacting Olesen’s family. Prosecutors said the test results were received September 22. Utah County prosecutor Erwin Petilos told the court that reassessing bail was necessary and fair while the state reviews the remaining evidence. Prosecutors had withdrawn their notice to seek the death penalty the previous week. The DNA exclusions do not establish who killed Olesen, and the judge said a jury could still find Carter guilty based on evidence that remains. The full forensic reports and whether investigators are pursuing other DNA matches were not detailed in the supplied accounts. Olesen’s family opposed Carter’s release.