A Durham Jury Returns Guilty Verdict in UNC Student's 2012 Death

Miguel Salguero Olivares stood before a Durham jury on Friday and was found guilty of first-degree murder, rape, sexual offense and burglary in the death of Faith Hedgepeth, a University of North Carolina student killed in 2012. The courtroom filled with emotion as the verdict was read. Judge Keith Gregory addressed the convicted man immediately after jurors returned, then invited members of Hedgepeth's family to address the court.

Hedgepeth's mother, Connie Hedgepeth, told the court she had waited more than 14 years for answers. "I'm just glad that we have the closure we need. I have peace and I forgave," she said. She also spoke of her sorrow for Salguero Olivares' family and called the killing "such a senseless and cruel act," thanking prosecutors, Chapel Hill police, the State Bureau of Investigation and the jury. Judge Gregory, speaking as a parent, noted that his own son is one year younger than Faith and said, "We're not supposed to watch our children leave this earth before we do."

Other relatives described what the years of uncertainty had cost them. Faith's niece, Alexis Evans, said the family would not carry that uncertainty into the holidays, and that the loss is felt "in every event, every moment, every place we go." Schylar Steverson told the court she was a high school junior getting ready for college when Hedgepeth, 19, was killed, and that she felt least safe at college afterward. "Today I take back that power," she said. Faith's father, Roland Hedgepeth, recalled a daughter who "never judged me" and "always loved me unconditionally," told the defendant he had no right to take her life, and said his faith requires him to forgive.

The State Bureau of Investigation detailed the work behind the case afterward, saying the effort took "nine years and nine days to solve" and drew on more than 25 special agents working alongside the Chapel Hill Police Department. Investigators pursued thousands of leads, carried out hundreds of interviews, and collected and tested more than 400 DNA samples. The agency said it never classified the matter as a cold case because leads kept arriving over the years. It also said the case now trains new agents at the SBI Academy.

SBI Director Chip Hawley called the work of those involved a display of "hard work, determination, and dedication" and described it as a monumental case in the agency's history. A press conference followed Friday afternoon at the Durham County Courthouse with Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry, members of the prosecution team, the Chapel Hill police chief and Faith Hedgepeth's family in attendance.