Posted by Brighton McConnell | Sep 16, 2022 | Crime
On September 16, 2021, the Chapel Hill Police Department called a press conference to make a bombshell announcement in the ongoing Faith Hedgepeth murder case: a suspect had been identified and arrested.
The case had long gone without any public updates and the news one year ago clearly marked a new chapter. Since then, there’s been little public movement in both the investigation and the case of 28-year-old Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares, who faces a first-degree murder charge. So: where do the 10-year-old murder case and upcoming court case stand?
A family member of Faith Hedgepeth’s wears a shirt in her honor at an event to raise awareness of missing or killed indigenous women on August 16, 2020.
HEDGEPETH’S MURDER AND INVESTIGATION
Content warning: Details of Hedgepeth’s death may be disturbing to readers and contains reference to sexual assault.
Faith Hedgepeth’s story and death have long tortured or intrigued Chapel Hill community members and nationwide followers alike. A member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribal community in Warren County, North Carolina, the 19-year-old was a sophom*ore in college and between enrollment at UNC, where she had aspirations to become either a pediatrician or a teacher.
Hedgepeth was found beaten to death in her off-campus apartment off Old Durham and Old Chapel Hill Road near the county line on September 7, 2012. Evidence from the scene indicated she was sexually assaulted, with police collecting sem*n with a sexual assault kit. Investigators also later revealed details that a Barcardi Rum bottle was used as a murder weapon and there was a note scribbled onto a white takeout food bag.
Ultimately, investigators pulled DNA from 52 pieces of case evidence. While no leads materialized publicly for police to explore, investigators were eventually able to cross-reference the DNA samples with more than 200 different DNA samples to rule out suspects. The sem*n found at the crime scene also led to a DNA profile being generated and a photo composite being shared in 2016.
28-year-old Miguel Salguero-Olivares. (Photo via the Durham County Sheriff’s Office.)
SALGUERO-OLIVARES’ CASE
Salguero-Olivares was arrested for driving while impaired in Raleigh on August 16, 2021. After search and arrest warrants were unsealed in late 2021, the Raleigh News & Observer reported that an order for arrest on Salguero-Oliveras was issued on September 7 after he failed to appear in court. Later warrants, which were issued on September 16, allowed law enforcement to enter his apartment on Garrett Road in Durham and seize several cell phones and a laptop. A third warrant issued on September 30 last year sought to confirm whether Salguero-Olivares’ palm print matches the print found on the Hedgepeth murder weapon.
Salguero-Olivares is being held in the Durham County Detention Center without bond. He’s been there since the arrest in 2021 and had an initial virtual court appearance on September 17.
A spokesperson for the Durham County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to Chapelboro that Salguero-Olivares’ superior court case is still pending. His next court date is scheduled for Thursday, October 13 — but it is largely procedural and not the start of any trial. Salguero-Olivares’ appearance is part of an annual homicide status conference, which the court and district attorney’s office hold in an administrative setting to go over every homicide case still active or pending.
Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry. (Photo via The Davis Vanguard.)
WHAT’S NEXT?
While there’s no indication when Salguero-Olivares’ case will officially be heard in superior court, we do know the prosecution is not seeking the death penalty.
Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry’s office filed a motion to superior court on September 28, 2021, marking it as seeking a “non-capital” punishment for the alleged crimes. This lines up with previous high-profile homicide cases Deberry’s office prosecuted. During her first year in office in 2019, the district attorney did not seek the death penalty for Craig Hicks, who pleaded guilty to murdering UNC student Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha inside their condo in 2015. Instead, Hicks was sentenced to life in prison.
The Chapel Hill Police Department — which has been seeking leads and evidence in the Hedgepeth murder since 2012 — continues to issue a message of endurance and empathy to the community. Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue shared a statement with Chapelboro on the anniversary of Hedgepeth’s death.
“Our thoughts are with all of Faith’s family and friends on the tenth anniversary of her murder,” he wrote. “In partnership with the Durham County District Attorney, we remain committed to bringing justice to Faith and her family.”
More of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro’s coverage of Faith Hedgepeth’s murder and law enforcement’s investigation can be found here.
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