{
  "id": 10880971,
  "title": "US man freed after 41 years on death row as DNA clears him",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/us-man-freed-after-41-years-on-death-row-as-dna-clears-him-10880971",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-30T07:00:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/us-man-freed-after-41-years-on-death-row-as-dna-clears-him/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Douglas Stewart Carter, a 71-year-old man, has been released from a 41-year sentence on death row in the United States after DNA evidence proved he was not responsible for Eva Olesen's murder in Provo, Utah. Carter, who was convicted in 1985, maintained his innocence and claimed his coerced confession during police interrogation. The Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial last year, citing misconduct by investigators. Olesen, a woman from a prominent family in Utah, was stabbed and shot in her home, and Carter was suspected of the crime during a robbery. Despite his claims of innocence and the lack of physical evidence, Carter was convicted based on the confession and the testimonies of two witnesses who later admitted to being threatened into lying. Carter's lawyers pointed out that witnesses saw a white man fleeing the scene and suggested that an investigator suppressed evidence pointing to Olesen's husband, Orla Olesen, as the possible suspect. Olesen's family opposed Carter's release, expressing concerns about his presence while awaiting the new trial. Carter is currently wearing a GPS monitor and will need to attend a new trial.",
  "summary": "A 71-year-old US man, Douglas Stewart Carter, has been released on bail after spending 41 years on death row as new DNA evidence failed to link him to a mu Read More: https://punchng.com/us-man-freed-after-41-years-on-death-row-as-dna-clears-him/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "US man freed after 41 years on death row as DNA clears him",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/us-man-freed-after-41-years-on-death-row-as-dna-clears-him",
        "published": "2026-09-30T06:32:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}