Jury Weighs Faith Hedgepeth Murder Case After First Day of Deliberations Ends Without Verdict

Fourteen years after the death of UNC-Chapel Hill sophomore Faith Hedgepeth, a jury is now deciding the case against Miguel Salguero Olivares. Closing arguments wrapped up Thursday, and jurors began deliberating that afternoon. They were sent home shortly after 5 p.m. and are due to resume Friday morning.

Before leaving for the day, jurors asked for summaries of the latent fingerprint and DNA reports that were introduced at trial. North Carolina Central University School of Law Professor Irving Joyner said the request suggests the panel is concentrating on the DNA evidence. "And as it should be, because that is the only evidence that the state has in this case," he said, adding that jurors "went right to the heart of the matter."

Prosecutors told jurors that the forensic evidence overwhelmingly points to Olivares. They alleged that he broke into Hedgepeth's apartment, sexually assaulted her and then beat her to death.

The defense took a different view. Attorneys argued that Olivares and Hedgepeth could have had consensual sex and noted that male DNA can remain inside a woman's body for days. Defense attorney Jason Murphy also urged jurors to consider whether investigators developed tunnel vision and overlooked other leads.

Joyner expects the panel to keep returning to the DNA. "Without DNA, the state would have nothing. So, if that is undermined, the state's prosecution is undermined," he said. He described the jurors' task as a complex one that they must carry out within the framework of the judge's instructions, and he predicted they would not hurry toward a judgment.

The professor also said the tone of each side's presentation could matter. In his assessment, the defense did a good job attacking the lack of certainty in the evidence and kept a calmer demeanor, while the state conveyed the emotion of a very emotional case. He noted that the prosecution team included two women and that the jury includes nine women, saying prosecutors "would score some points on the connection."

Closing arguments also brought a new element. For the first time, prosecutors put forward a theory of motive, alleging that Olivares became upset and embarrassed after Hedgepeth rejected his advances outside her Chapel Hill apartment. She had just returned from a night out with her roommate, according to the state's account.

Joyner questioned why the theory surfaced only at that stage. "That's the big question mark," he said, adding that based on the evidence he had heard, it "is not supported by any of the evidence that was presented." He noted that jurors did not hear any witnesses testify to it.

Given the seriousness of the charges and the questions the evidence leaves open, Joyner said deliberations could stretch past Friday. "I think they will take their time," he said, noting that 12 people must work through the evidence and reach an agreement, which "might take some time."