AI Image
Jury selection begins in murder trial for 2012 killing of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth
WRAL • • nation
Key Points:
- The murder trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares, accused in the 2012 death of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth, is set to begin with jury selection in Durham on Monday, expected to last several weeks due to extensive evidence.
- Faith Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old UNC sophomore and biology major, was found beaten to death in her apartment in September 2012, with police confirming the death as a homicide and noting it was not random.
- After nearly a decade-long investigation, Salguero-Olivares was arrested in September 2021 following a DNA match linked to the crime scene, with prosecutors also charging him with first-degree burglary, rape, and sexual offenses.
- A recent pretrial ruling requires that any evidence or testimony suggesting third-party guilt must be examined outside the jury's presence, limiting defense arguments about other possible suspects.
- The case timeline highlights ongoing community concern, FBI behavioral profiling, and law enforcement persistence, culminating in the 2021 arrest and forthcoming trial.
