DURHAM COUNTY, N.C. (TCN) — A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted of multiple counts in connection with the 2012 death of college student Faith Hedgepeth.
According to WRAL, Hedgepeth was a biology student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2012. She was 19 years old when she was found dead in her apartment, with a fractured skull, cuts on her face and head, and other signs of beating throughout her body.
The case went unsolved for many years. In 2021, Miguel Salguero-Olivares was arrested in connection with Hedgepeth’s death. DNA from a drunk-driving arrest matched DNA collected from Hedgepeth’s room, according to WRAL. He was 19 years old when he killed her.
Prosecutors argued in court that Salguero-Olivares was a stranger who killed Hedgepeth in a fit of rage, per WRAL. His defense argued that prosecutors failed to prove their case and also questioned the investigation’s reliability.
Prosecutor Lisa Coltrain said, “He turned that beautiful woman into a corpse,” and “They still got the guy because he left his DNA like confetti all over that room,” per WRAL.
The News & Observer reports Hedgepeth’s parents, Roland and Connie Hedgepeth, forgave Salguero-Olivares. Roland Hedgepeth said, “I still pray for him that he’ll repent for what was done, [and] may God have mercy on his soul.”
Judge Keith Gregory said of Hedgepeth’s family and their forgiveness of Salguero-Olivares, “Your ability to forgive just gives me the ability to say yes, Keith, there is still goodness in mankind,” according to the News & Observer.
On Oct. 23, Salguero-Olivares was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, first-degree sexual offense, and first-degree burglary, according to WRAL, and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
During the reading of the verdict, he reportedly said, “It’s not fair.” WRAL reports he plans to appeal his conviction.
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