Trial Begins for a Man Accused of Killing UNC Student Faith Hedgepeth 14 Years Ago
Attorneys still must choose four alternate jurors before opening statements, and the trial is expected to last 5 to 6 weeks.
- A 12-member jury has been seated for the murder trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares, who stands accused of killing 19-year-old University of North Carolina student Faith Hedgepeth in 2012.
- Authorities arrested Salguero-Olivares in 2021, nine years after Hedgepeth was found beaten to death in her off-campus apartment, relying on DNA evidence from the crime scene to link him to the killing.
- Assistant District Attorney Angela Garcia-Lamarca alleged the defendant left DNA on a blood-covered rum bottle and a note, while defense attorney James Rainsford said the evidence "doesn't add up."
- Court officials continue efforts to fill three remaining alternate juror seats before the trial fully commences; once the panel is finalized, proceedings are expected to last five to six weeks.
- Proceedings officially began Wednesday, October 7, 2026, with the prosecution alleging the killing resulted from "a fit of rage," while the seated jury includes five Black women, four white women, two Black men and one white man from Durham, North Carolina.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Trial begins for a man accused of killing UNC student Faith Hedgepeth
The trial of a man accused of killing a North Carolina college student 14 years ago began Wednesday with the prosecution alleging she was killed in a fit of rage by a stranger who left his DNA all over the crime scene. The defense said the evidence doesn’t add up. Miguel Salguero Olivares is charged with first-degree murder, rape and burglary in the death of Faith Hedgepeth . She was a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of North Carolina at…
Trial begins for a man accused of killing UNC student Faith Hedgepeth 14 years ago – WTOP News
The trial of a man accused of killing a North Carolina college student 14 years ago began Wednesday with the prosecution alleging she was killed in a fit of rage by a stranger who left his DNA all over the crime scene. The defense said the evidence doesn’t add up. Miguel Salguero Olivares is charged...
Attorneys in UNC student murder trial agree on jury, still selecting alternates
Attorneys in the UNC student murder trial have agreed on a jury of 12 Durham residents. Those jurors will decide whether Miguel Salguero-Olivares is guilty of the murder of Faith Hedgepeth.
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