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Criminal trialSentenced

Faith Hedgepeth murder trial

State of North Carolina v. Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares

Both sides' openings, Oct. 7, 2026. (WRAL · Embedded from the owner's channel)

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Bench Watch Brief · Where this case stands

A Durham County jury found Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares guilty on Oct. 23, 2026, of first-degree murder, rape, sexual offense and burglary in the 2012 killing of UNC-Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth, 19. He was sentenced to life without parole. He has filed notice of appeal, and on Nov. 3 his lawyers asked for a new trial.

The question at issue

Whether the state could prove Salguero-Olivares killed Faith Hedgepeth with DNA evidence prosecutors said tied him to the scene, after nine years without an arrest and after police lost a blood swab the defense said mattered.

Outcome

Guilty on all four counts, Oct. 23, 2026. Sentenced the same day to life without parole for murder, plus consecutive prison terms on the other three counts. Notice of appeal filed; a motion for a new trial is pending.

The Durham County Courthouse in Durham, North Carolina
The Durham County Courthouse. (Photo: James Willamor / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped))

Why we're following it

This case went nine years without an arrest. Police charged Salguero-Olivares in September 2021, and Attorney General Josh Stein said a DNA sample law enforcement obtained from him matched a DNA profile from the crime scene (ABC11).

Bench Watch BreakdownFirst-degree murder and felony murderShow or hide the explanation
What it means
In North Carolina, first-degree murder is a killing that was planned. It can also be a killing that happens during another serious crime, like rape or a break-in. That second kind is called felony murder.
In this case
The state also charged rape, sexual offense and burglary, and it did not seek the death penalty. The jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, so the law required life in prison with no parole.
Why it matters
Under felony murder, the state doesn't have to prove the killing was planned. It has to prove the other crime and the death.

N.C. Gen. Stat. 14-17

Before trial, the defense asked the judge to dismiss the case because Chapel Hill police lost a swab of a blood stain from a bathroom door frame. Judge Keith O. Gregory refused, ruling there were no grounds to dismiss the case, though he called the loss “absurd” (WRAL).

At trial, forensic witnesses gave different accounts of the swab. The technician who tested the stain said the step to collect the sample “was a step that was missed” (The News & Observer). The specialist who was training her testified that she believed a swab was collected, and that they searched the truck and the lab for it (ABC11).

Bench Watch BreakdownLost evidence and “bad faith”Show or hide the explanation
What it means
When police lose evidence, a case is not always thrown out. Under a 1988 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Arizona v. Youngblood, the defense usually has to show the police lost it on purpose, in bad faith. Being careless is usually not enough.
In this case
Police lost a swab of a blood stain from a bathroom door frame. The judge refused to dismiss the case and let the trial go on. The defense raised the missing swab in its opening statement.
Why it matters
Lost evidence can hurt both sides. A missing test can leave a jury with questions no one can answer.

Arizona v. Youngblood (1988)

Bench Watch BreakdownGenetic genealogyShow or hide the explanation
What it means
This tool takes DNA found at a crime scene. It checks it against DNA that people post on family-tree websites. A match with a relative can lead police to a suspect.
In this case
Coverage has linked DNA ancestry tools to this case. But the judge ruled before trial that the jury would not hear genetic genealogy evidence.
Why it matters
Courts are still deciding when this new tool can be used in front of a jury.

Faith Hedgepeth was a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribal community, and her case is part of a wider concern about violence against Indigenous women. “For us, it's certainly been a long, agonizing wait,” the tribe's chief, Ogletree Richardson, said after the arrest (ABC11).

Timeline

  1. The defense asks for a new trial

  2. Guilty on all four counts; sentenced to life without parole; notice of appeal filed

  3. Closing arguments; deliberations begin

  4. The defense rests without calling witnesses

  5. The state rests after 23 witnesses; the judge denies the defense's motion to dismiss

  6. Medical examiner testifies; evidence technician says collecting a blood sample “was a step that was missed”

  7. Forensic technician shows jurors the rum bottle

  8. Jury sees crime-scene video; the 911 operator and a forensic technician testify

  9. Opening statements; first witnesses testify

  10. Jury selection begins

  11. Judge refuses to dismiss the case over the lost blood swab

  12. Judge allows cameras during testimony and excludes genetic genealogy evidence

  13. Salguero-Olivares pleads not guilty to all charges

  14. Judge denies the state's request to seal future pretrial motions

  15. Judge sets the trial for Sept. 28, 2026

  16. Prosecutors add rape, sexual offense and burglary charges (reported Nov. 15, 2024)

  17. District attorney files notice that the state won't seek the death penalty

  18. Appears in court; held without bond

  19. Salguero-Olivares arrested and charged with first-degree murder

  20. Faith Hedgepeth, 19, is found dead in her apartment

Primary documents

Our coverage

Key questions

Who is Miguel Salguero-Olivares?
He is the man a Durham County jury found guilty on Oct. 23, 2026, of killing UNC-Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth in 2012. Police arrested him in September 2021. He pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to life without parole, and has appealed.
What was Miguel Salguero-Olivares convicted of?
First-degree murder, first-degree rape, first-degree sexual offense and first-degree burglary in the September 2012 death of Faith Hedgepeth. He was charged with murder in 2021, and prosecutors added the other three charges in November 2024. He pleaded not guilty, and the jury found him guilty on all four counts on Oct. 23, 2026.
Was the death penalty possible in the Faith Hedgepeth case?
No. The Durham County District Attorney's Office said in 2021 that it would not seek the death penalty. Under North Carolina law, that left life in prison without parole as the sentence for first-degree murder, and Judge Keith O. Gregory imposed it.
Was the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial on TV?
Yes. Judge Keith O. Gregory allowed cameras during witness testimony, and Court TV and WRAL streamed the trial live.

Approach the Bench · How you can take part

  1. Learn more

    The trial is over, and the appeal is next

    A Durham County jury found him guilty on Oct. 23, 2026. His lawyers have filed notice of appeal and asked Judge Keith O. Gregory for a new trial. Our live coverage keeps the full record of the trial.

    Read our trial coverage

  2. Vote

    Judges in North Carolina answer to voters

    North Carolina elects its Superior Court judges to eight-year terms. Make sure you're registered so you have a say in who sits on the bench.

    Check your registration

  3. Contact your officials

    Evidence rules and crime labs are funded by lawmakers

    How long police must keep evidence, and how crime labs are funded, are set by state and local officials. If you have a view, they're the people to tell.

    Find your officials

  4. Report a concern

    If you believe a judge broke the rules

    North Carolina's Judicial Standards Commission reviews complaints about judges' conduct. It can't change a ruling; appeals do that.

    Judicial Standards Commission

Disagree with a ruling? Only the people in a case can appeal it. You can still be heard by contacting your officials, voting in judicial elections where judges are elected and telling us what we're missing.

See something? Tell Bench Watch at tips@bench-watch.org. A wrong ruling is a matter for appeal. You can report bias or misconduct by a judge to your state's judicial conduct office.

Watch the court record with us.

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In court and in the news

Clips from the outlets that covered the case, each credited.

  • Faith Hedgepeth's family and tribe react to the 2021 arrest

    ABC11 · Family and Haliwa-Saponi tribal members, Sept. 2021.

  • How did we get here? The Faith Hedgepeth case

    WRAL · The case's history, Sept. 28, 2026.

  • Faith Hedgepeth murder trial: day 1

    Court TV · The full opening day, Oct. 7, 2026. · Trial testimony includes descriptions of a violent death.

  • Faith Hedgepeth murder trial: day 2

    CBS 17 · Testimony from Oct. 8, 2026. · Includes the 911 call and crime-scene evidence.