RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – Late Friday afternoon, jurors in the trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares found the defendant guilty of first-degree murder, rape, sexual offense, and burglary in the killing of UNC Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth. The verdict comes more than 14 years after Hedgepeth was found beaten to death in her off-campus apartment in Chapel Hill on Sept. 7, 2012. Salguero-Olivares was arrested in September 2021, nine years after Hedgepeth’s death.
On Wednesday, the defense team made the surprising decision not to call any witnesses to the stand, instead resting their case after the prosecution finished questioning their witnesses. The jury began deliberating Thursday and requested additional evidence late in the afternoon before court proceedings ended for the day. The jury asked for summaries of lab reports and fingerprint readings. Friday was the 19th day of the trial, including days dedicated to jury selection.