Durham jury convicts Miguel Salguero‑Olivares of 2012 Faith Hedgepeth murder
A Durham, N.C., jury found Miguel Salguero‑Olivares guilty of first‑degree murder, rape, sexual assault and burglary in the 2012 killing of UNC Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth, sentencing him to life without parole.
Key points
- Miguel Salguero‑Olivares was found guilty on all counts in the 2012 murder of Faith Hedgepeth.
- The jury used a DNA match linked to a 2021 traffic stop for intoxicated driving.
- Salguero‑Olivares was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- The trial opened with prosecution arguments on Oct. 7, 2026 at the Durham courthouse.
- Hedgepeth, 19, was discovered dead in her Chapel Hill apartment.
A Durham, N.C., jury delivered a guilty verdict on Friday in the 2012 killing of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth. The jury found Miguel Salguero-Olivares guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder, rape, sexual assault and burglary.
Hedgepeth, then 19, was discovered dead in her Chapel Hill apartment. Prosecutors presented a DNA match that linked Salguero-Olivares to the crime; the match was obtained after a traffic stop for intoxicated driving in 2021.
Following the conviction, the court sentenced Salguero-Olivares to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The trial included opening arguments from the prosecution on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, at the Durham courthouse, where Salguero-Olivares listened as the case was presented.
Your questions, answered
What was the verdict in the Faith Hedgepeth case?
The Durham jury found Miguel Salguero‑Olivares guilty on all counts, including first‑degree murder, rape, sexual assault and burglary.
How was Salguero‑Olivares linked to the crime?
Prosecutors presented a DNA match that connected him to the crime, obtained after a 2021 traffic stop for intoxicated driving.
How does this story make you feel?
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