Douglas Stewart Carter, 71, who spent more than four decades on Utah’s death row, is released from jail after newly analyzed DNA evidence indicates he was not connected to a 1985 homicide. A judge orders his release on bail, and he walks out of the Utah County jail late on Monday night. He remains under restrictions pending further legal proceedings and must wear a GPS monitoring device until a new trial begins.
Carter was convicted in 1985 of murdering a 57-year-old woman. The outlets describe his freedom as tied to developments from DNA testing that challenge the basis for his conviction. While the reporting is consistent that he is excluded by the newer DNA analysis and that a new trial is expected to follow, the articles differ mainly in emphasis: one highlights the length of time he spent on death row and the judge’s bail conditions, while another focuses on his age and the DNA exclusion as the immediate trigger for release.
