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DNA Evidence Solves 14-Year-Old NC College Murder Case
24 Oct
Summary
- Man convicted of murder 14 years after college student's death.
- DNA evidence crucially linked suspect to the crime scene.
- Rape, sexual offense, and burglary charges also included in conviction.
A man accused in the 2012 murder of a North Carolina college student has been convicted of first-degree murder, rape, sexual offense, and burglary. Faith Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sophomore, was killed in her off-campus apartment.
Miguel Salguero Olivares was arrested nine years after the crime, following a traffic stop that led to a DNA sample match. Prosecutors argued that forensic evidence, including fingerprints and DNA on a wine bottle and the murder weapon, strongly implicated Olivares.
During the trial, experts testified that DNA found on the victim and at the scene was overwhelmingly likely to be from Hedgepeth and Salguero Olivares. Defense attorneys questioned investigative procedures but ultimately could not overcome the forensic evidence presented by the prosecution, which stated the evidence was 'screaming his name.'
