Closing arguments set in trial over 2012 killing of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth
In short
Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday in the trial of Miguel Salguero Olivares, accused of killing University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth in September 2012. His attorneys rested their case Wednesday without calling any witnesses, and he did not testify.
Read the full story 2 min read
Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday in the trial of Miguel Salguero Olivares, who is accused of killing a North Carolina college student 14 years ago. His attorneys rested their case Wednesday without calling any witnesses, and he did not testify. [ 2 , 3 ]
Faith Hedgepeth was a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when she was beaten to death in her off-campus apartment in September 2012. Salguero Olivares was arrested nine years later after being pulled over for driving while intoxicated and providing a DNA sample that prosecutors say matched evidence from the crime scene. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, rape and burglary charges. [ 2 , 3 ]
Testimony began Oct. 7 following eight days of jury selection. Nearly two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution, including Hedgepeth's roommate and other friends, crime scene technicians, state and local law enforcement and a DNA expert. [ 2 , 3 ]
Early testimony focused on Hedgepeth's life and her last night alive, when she and her roommate returned home from a club around 2 a.m. Karena Rosario testified that she was drunk and sick when Hedgepeth drove them home but later called a friend to pick her up and she went out again, leaving Hedgepeth in the apartment alone. She returned hours later that Sept. 7 to find Hedgepeth's body. An autopsy showed Hedgepeth suffered extensive skull fractures and cuts to her face and head, and she was also badly beaten on her arms and legs. [ 2 , 3 ]
Prosecutors allege that Salguero Olivares, now 33, was a stranger who killed Hedgepeth in a fit of rage. They said his DNA was found on a rum bottle covered in blood that investigators identified as the weapon in the killing, in Hedgepeth's body and on a note written on a fast-food bag found at the scene. [ 2 , 3 ]
Erin Ermish, a forensic scientist with the state crime lab, testified that she could never say with 100% certainty that a DNA sample came from a particular person. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The case, which went to arrest nine years after the killing, is close to going to a jury. The documents give no further basis for wider significance.
Key facts
- Faith Hedgepeth was a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when she was beaten to death in her off-campus apartment in September 2012. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Miguel Salguero Olivares, now 33, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, rape and burglary charges. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Testimony began Oct. 7 after eight days of jury selection. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Nearly two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The defense rested Wednesday without calling any witnesses, and Salguero Olivares did not testify. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nothing is confirmed by two independent outlets yet.
Still unclear
- Whether the DNA evidence will persuade the jury. Prosecutors say his DNA matched evidence from the scene; a state crime lab scientist testified she could never say with 100% certainty that a DNA sample came from a particular person. The outcome of the trial is not known.
- Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday in the trial of Miguel Salguero Olivares. Reported by a single source so far
- Salguero Olivares's attorneys rested their case Wednesday without calling any witnesses. Reported by a single source so far
- Salguero Olivares has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, rape and burglary charges. Reported by a single source so far