An American wrongfully convicted of murder was released after spending 41 years in prison

Douglas Stewart Carter, a 71-year-old American, was released Monday from a Utah prison after spending more than 40 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. New DNA tests showed that evidence collected at the crime scene did not belong to him.

Carter was convicted in 1985 of murdering Eva Olesen, the aunt of Provo’s police chief, and was convicted again in 1992. The prosecution relied on statements from two witnesses and a confession that the man said had been obtained through coercion. Two decades later, the witnesses acknowledged that police had allegedly paid and pressured them to testify against him.

The defense also pointed to a witness who said that a white man had been seen leaving the crime scene, but the lead was not investigated. The Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial, scheduled for 2027, citing serious police misconduct. Carter was released on bail.