Chapel Hill jury convicts man in 2012 murder of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth

A jury in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, found Miguel Salguero-Olivares guilty of first-degree murder, rape, sexual offense, and burglary on October 28, 2026. The verdict resolves a 14-year investigation into the death of Faith Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old University of North Carolina sophomore. The judge sentenced Salguero-Olivares to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder, with additional time for the other convictions.

Hedgepeth died in September 2012 after a night out. Her roommate, Karena Rosario, found her bloodied and unconscious in a bed in their off-campus apartment on the morning of September 7, 2012. Police pronounced Hedgepeth dead at the scene. They determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and identified a Bacardi bottle in the bedroom as the likely weapon. Investigators also found evidence of sexual assault.

Rosario told police she returned to the apartment with Hedgepeth from a nightclub called The Thrill at approximately 2 a.m. on September 6, 2012. Rosario said she vomited and left with a friend, Jordan McCrary, at about 4:25 a.m. She assumed Hedgepeth was in the bedroom when she departed. A note written on a takeout bag was discovered in the room. It read, "I'm not stupid, b, jealous."

Authorities pursued over 1,800 potential suspects for more than a decade. Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew stated that officers received thousands of tips but no leads materialized. In 2021, investigators used single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP, DNA technology to identify the suspect. This genetic genealogy method linked the crime scene DNA to an individual of Latino ancestry. Police arrested Salguero-Olivares in September 2021 after confirming his DNA matched the evidence. He was 19 years old at the time of the murder.

Salguero-Olivares pleaded not guilty during his trial, which began in September 2026. His defense argued that Rosario knew more than she disclosed, pointing to a red substance on her hand that she claimed was vomit from a slushy. Prosecutors countered with DNA evidence and handwriting on the note that matched Salguero-Olivares. The defendant did not testify, and his defense presented no evidence.

Hedgepeth, a member of the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe from Hollister, North Carolina, is remembered by her family for her energy. Her mother, Connie Hedgepeth, described her as lively and ready to tackle the world. Her father, Roland Hedgepeth, called her a bundle of joy. The community supports the Faith's Smile Memorial Scholarship, which aids Native American incoming freshmen at four-year universities.

Salguero-Olivares's legal team stated he plans to appeal the verdict.