PROVO, Utah — Attorneys for a man who spent decades in prison for the murder of a Provo woman said his DNA profile did not appear at the crime scene.
It is the latest twist in the case against Douglas Stewart Carter, who was on death row until his murder conviction was overturned by the Utah Supreme Court on allegations of police misconduct during the investigation. On Friday, Carter's attorneys said DNA evidence did not put Carter at the scene.
"DNA profiles from three key pieces of evidence (a bloody palm print left on the back door of the Olesen home, fresh blood found in the alley outside the back door, and blood left on a pillow used to muffle the sound of the gunshot which killed Eva) were strong enough to be run against the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a database of convicted offender, unsolved crimes, and missing persons," Carter's attorney, Neal Hamilton, wrote in a statement to FOX 13 News. "Doug’s DNA profile has been in CODIS since 1995. This week we learned that no matches were returned from CODIS. This confirms what we have always known: Doug did not murder Eva Olesen."
Carter was on death row for the murder of Olesen, who was stabbed and shot in her home in 1985. She was the aunt of Provo's then-police chief. But police have been accused of threatening and bribing witnesses in the case. Defense attorneys recently accused police of mishandling evidence. The case was sent back to a lower court where Utah County prosecutors have sought to re-try him.
On Monday, the Utah County Attorney's Office said it would not comment on the developments outside of court.
Carter will be asked to provide another DNA sample to compare it to evidence in the case. His lawyers have already demanded charges be dropped.
"The State of Utah stole 42 years from Doug. The only consideration which out to remain is how make right the theft of Doug’s life," Hamilton said.
