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Utah man freed on bail after decades on death row as new DNA test excludes him from 1985 killing

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 10 outlets across the spectrum.

10 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

A Utah judge ordered Douglas Stewart Carter, 71, released on bail after prosecutors said newly analyzed DNA evidence did not match him in the 1985 killing of Eva Olesen, the aunt of a former Provo police chief. Carter was convicted in 1985 and again in 1992 based on a signed confession and testimony from two witnesses who later recanted; no physical evidence had linked him to the crime scene. The Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial last year, citing misconduct by investigators. A DNA analysis received Sept. 22 excluded Carter as a match to blood on a doorknob and genetic material on a knife handle used in the killing. Judge Derek Pullan ordered Carter released with a GPS monitor over objections from Olesen's family, while he awaits a new trial. Carter says his confession was coerced.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Douglas Stewart Carter, 71, was convicted in the 1985 killing of Eva Olesen, aunt of a former Provo police chief, and sentenced to death.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. A DNA analysis received Sept. 22 excluded Carter as a match to blood on a doorknob and genetic material on a knife handle used to stab Olesen.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  3. A judge ordered Carter released on bail Monday, over objections from the victim's family, requiring him to wear a GPS monitor.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  4. The Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial last year, citing misconduct by investigators.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  5. No physical evidence originally linked Carter to the crime scene; he was convicted based on a signed confession and testimony from two witnesses who later recanted.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Carter says the signed confession was coerced and has maintained his innocence.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. Judge Pullan said the DNA results further undermined the case but that a reasonable jury could still convict Carter.

    Reported byLeftRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether Carter's 1985 confession was legitimate or coerced.

    Carter has said the confession was coerced during interrogation and maintains his innocence; the original conviction relied in part on that signed confession, and the judge noted a reasonable jury could still find him guilty despite the new DNA evidence.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    5 outlets

    Left-side outlets emphasize the length of time Carter spent on death row, with The New York Times specifying '37 Years' and other outlets running an Associated Press report focused on the DNA exclusion.

    After 41 years in Utah custody, Black man released following new DNA findings
    TheGrioLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center outlets use plain, fact-first headlines noting the release and the DNA evidence, with BBC specifying the exact duration of imprisonment.

    Man released on bail after 41 years on death row
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Right-side outlets, largely running the same Associated Press report as other sides, use straightforward headlines centered on the DNA exclusion and Carter's release.

    Utah man released after decades on death row as DNA evidence excludes him from 1985 killing
    Fox NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read 8 of the 10 articles in context when it wrote the analysis. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

5 outlets

Leads with

  • time served on death row
  • wrongful-conviction elements
  • racial dynamics of the original case
See the 5 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • TheGrioLeft

    After 41 years in Utah custody, Black man released following new DNA findings

    Douglas Carter’s conviction was overturned after courts found serious misconduct, and new DNA testing excluded him from genetic evidence recovered

    Read at TheGrio (opens in a new tab)
  • The New York TimesLeft

    After 37 Years on Death Row, Man Is Freed From Utah Jail

    Douglas Carter was convicted in 1985 of murdering a 57-year-old woman. But new DNA testing led a judge to free him on Monday.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeft

    Utah death-row prisoner released after new DNA analysis of 1985 killing

    Douglas Carter, 71, who has spent more than four decades on death row, released on bail until new trial begins A Utah man who has spent more than four decades on death row was released from jail after newly analyzed DNA evidence showed that he was not connected to a 1985 …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    Man on death row for decades released on bail after DNA tests show no match to him

    A Utah judge on Monday ordered a 71-year-old man to be released on bail who spent decades on death row after prosecutors said newly analyzed DNA evidence did not match him

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by CBS News. It counts once.

  • CBS NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    Man who spent decades on death row ordered released on bail after no DNA match

    CBS News published a report that is shown in full at ABC News. The headline is the one CBS News gave it.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • basic sequence of events
  • DNA test result
  • Carter's background and case history

Leaves out

  • judge's comment that a reasonable jury could still convict him
  • racial details of the case

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Man released on bail after 41 years on death row

    New DNA analysis did not match Douglas Stewart Carter, now 71, who was convicted of killing a woman but always maintained his innocence.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • Sky NewsCenter

    Man who has spent decades on death row released after DNA evidence

    A man who has spent decades on death row in Utah is being released after prosecutors said newly analysed DNA evidence did not match him.

    Read at Sky News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • DNA evidence excluding Carter
  • conditions of his release
  • case background including recanted witness testimony
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Utah man released after decades on death row as DNA evidence excludes him from 1985 killing

    A Utah man who spent decades on death row was released on bail after DNA evidence excluded him from the 1985 killing of a police chief's aunt.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightAssociated Press report

    Utah man, 71, released from death row after DNA evidence excludes him in 1985 killing

    Douglas Stewart Carter, 71, was released from Utah's death row after DNA evidence excluded him from a 1985 murder. He now awaits a new trial.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report

    Man ordered released on bail after decades on Utah's death row after DNA tests show no match to him

    A Utah judge on Monday ordered a 71-year-old man who spent decades on death row for a 1985 killing to be released on bail, despite objections from the victim's family, after prosecutors said newly analyzed DNA evidence did not match him.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    43 min later

    Its first report, Sep 28, 8:09 PM EDT

  • Center

    1 hr 33 min later

    Its first report, Sep 28, 8:59 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Sep 28, 7:26 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightSep 28, 7:26 PM EDT
  2. ABC NewsLeftSep 28, 8:09 PM EDT
  3. CBS NewsLeftSep 28, 8:58 PM EDT
  4. Sky NewsCenterSep 28, 8:59 PM EDT
  5. New York PostRightSep 29, 3:13 AM EDT
  6. BBC NewsCenterSep 29, 9:39 AM EDT
  7. The GuardianLeftSep 29, 4:12 PM EDT
  8. The New York TimesLeftSep 29, 4:21 PM EDT
  9. Fox NewsFar RightSep 30, 12:55 AM EDT
  10. TheGrioLeftSep 30, 1:26 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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