Skip to content
Triangle Local

Durham, Durham County

Durham: State rests in Faith Hedgepeth trial after judge strikes SBI DNA remark

Prosecutors finished Monday after 23 witnesses. An SBI agent told jurors a note image he had tied to the defendant was a picture that had circulated online. Court resumes Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. Miguel Salguero-Olivares is presumed innocent.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published · Updated

The downtown Durham skyline under an overcast sky

File photo: Discover Durham (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The murder trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares in the 2012 death of UNC Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth continued Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Durham.Confirmed by ABC11 courtroom coverage; 9th Street Journal courtroom coverage
  • Hedgepeth, 19, was found dead in her apartment on Sept. 7, 2012. WRAL has reported the address as the Hawthorne on the View complex on Old Chapel Hill Road. Chapel Hill police later classified the death as a homicide.Confirmed by WRAL; ABC11; Chapel Hill Police Department, via Town of Chapel Hill news archive
  • On Sept. 16, 2021, the Chapel Hill Police Department, working with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, arrested Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares, then 28, of Durham, in connection with Hedgepeth's death.Confirmed by Chapel Hill Police Department, via Town of Chapel Hill news archive, Sept. 16, 2021; WUNC
  • He is on trial on charges that include murder. 9th Street Journal, covering Monday's session, listed the charges as murder, burglary, sexual offense and rape. ABC11 has previously reported first-degree rape, first-degree burglary and first-degree sexual offense among the charges. A charge is an accusation. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.Confirmed by 9th Street Journal; ABC11
  • N.C. State Bureau of Investigation agent Justin Heinrich testified Friday and returned to the stand Monday. The 9th Street Journal said he has been investigating the case since 2013.Confirmed by ABC11; 9th Street Journal
  • On Monday, before the jury came in, the defense asked the judge to strike several statements Heinrich made Friday. The judge instructed the jury only to disregard Heinrich's statement that DNA allowed investigators to find "the person responsible" for what happened.Confirmed by 9th Street Journal; ABC11
  • ABC11 reported that the judge left standing two other challenged remarks, including Heinrich's description of a witness's interviews as "remarkably consistent" and his opinion, based on photographs and case materials, that a sexual assault occurred. WRAL's Monday courtroom report matched that split ruling. A Courtroom Insider log from the same session said the judge would strike the DNA line and would not tell jurors to disregard the sexual-assault opinion.Confirmed by ABC11; WRAL; Courtroom Insider
  • After Heinrich finished Monday, prosecutors told the court they had rested. WRAL counted 23 witnesses over nine days of testimony. Courtroom Insider, from the same session, listed Heinrich as the state's 23rd witness.Confirmed by WRAL; Courtroom Insider; CBS 17
  • The defense then asked the judge to dismiss the indictment, arguing the state had not proven every element. The judge denied that motion.Confirmed by Courtroom Insider; CBS 17
  • WRAL said jurors also heard jail calls recorded after the 2021 arrest, including a video call, as part of Heinrich's Monday testimony. Courtroom Insider's courtroom log recorded those calls being played.Confirmed by WRAL; Courtroom Insider
  • Heinrich told jurors Monday that a handwritten-note image he had earlier connected to Salguero-Olivares was a picture that had circulated online, not writing the defendant authored. ABC11 reported he called it a viral picture after looking into it over the weekend. Courtroom Insider's log recorded him saying the image was widely circulated and that it did not appear the defendant wrote it. The News & Observer reported the same correction from the same session.Confirmed by ABC11; Courtroom Insider; The News & Observer
  • Court resumes at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. ABC11, the 9th Street Journal and Courtroom Insider, all covering Monday's session, reported that time. The 9th Street Journal and Courtroom Insider said the defense will begin calling witnesses then.Confirmed by ABC11; 9th Street Journal; Courtroom Insider

Alleged or reported

  • Salguero-Olivares committed murder in Hedgepeth's death.the State of North Carolina, in the pending Durham trial. A charge is an accusation. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court

Still unknown

  • The full written order on Monday's motion, if one is filed
  • What evidence the defense will offer Wednesday, and whether Salguero-Olivares will testify
  • What the jury will ultimately decide

What happened

The trial in the 2012 death of UNC Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth continued Monday in Durham. Prosecutors finished their case that afternoon, after the judge told jurors to ignore one line of an SBI agent's testimony.

Miguel Salguero-Olivares is on trial. Chapel Hill police, working with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, arrested him on Sept. 16, 2021, and announced the arrest that afternoon. A charge is an accusation. He is presumed innocent unless a jury finds him guilty.

Hedgepeth, 19, was found dead in her apartment on Sept. 7, 2012. WRAL has reported the complex as Hawthorne on the View, on Old Chapel Hill Road.

On Monday morning, SBI agent Justin Heinrich returned to the stand. The 9th Street Journal, from the courtroom, said the first hour was spent without the jury, with the defense asking the judge to strike several remarks Heinrich made Friday. The judge instructed jurors only to disregard his statement that DNA allowed investigators to find "the person responsible" for what happened. ABC11's live updates from court matched that ruling. The Journal listed the charges as murder, burglary, sexual offense and rape. ABC11 has previously listed first-degree rape, first-degree burglary and first-degree sexual offense among the counts.

ABC11 said the judge left two other challenged remarks in place, including Heinrich's description of a witness's interviews as "remarkably consistent" and his opinion, from photographs and case materials, that a sexual assault occurred. WRAL's later courtroom report matched that split. A Courtroom Insider log from that session said the DNA line would be stricken and that the judge would not add the sexual-assault opinion to the instruction.

After Heinrich finished, prosecutors told the court they had rested. WRAL counted 23 witnesses over nine days of testimony. Courtroom Insider listed Heinrich as the state's 23rd witness. CBS 17 reported the state rested after he left the stand.

Defense lawyers then asked the court to throw out the indictment. Courtroom Insider and CBS 17 said that motion was denied.

WRAL said jurors also heard jail calls from after the 2021 arrest as part of the Monday testimony. The Courtroom Insider notes show those calls were played.

Heinrich also told jurors Monday that a handwritten-note image he had earlier connected to Salguero-Olivares was a picture that had circulated online, not writing the defendant authored. ABC11 reported he called it a viral picture after looking into it over the weekend. Courtroom Insider's log from the same session recorded him saying the image was widely circulated and that it did not appear the defendant wrote it. The News & Observer reported the same correction.

What we don't know yet

The jury has not returned a verdict. Court officials have not posted an order on Monday's motions. What the defense will offer, and whether Salguero-Olivares will testify, is not yet on the record in a way we can confirm from more than one account.

What happens next

Court resumes at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. ABC11, the 9th Street Journal and Courtroom Insider reported that time. The last two also said defense lawyers are scheduled to start their case then.

This site is not a court and not an emergency service. If someone is in danger, call 911.

Why it matters

Faith Hedgepeth's killing went nine years without an arrest. Prosecutors have now finished their case in Durham. Readers need a clear account of what the court struck, that a charge is not a verdict, and that the jury has not decided anything.

Updates

  1. Oct 19, 2026, 8:18 PM

    Heinrich tells jurors a note image he had connected to the defendant was a picture that had circulated online, not the defendant's writing. Court resumes 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The defense is scheduled to call witnesses.

  2. Oct 19, 2026, 4:12 PM

    Prosecutors rest after 23 witnesses. The judge denies a defense motion to dismiss. The earlier instruction to disregard the DNA "person responsible" remark still stands.

  3. Oct 19, 2026, 12:34 PM

    The trial continues Monday in Durham. The judge tells jurors to disregard SBI agent Justin Heinrich's Friday statement that DNA identified "the person responsible."

  4. Sep 16, 2021, 12:00 AM

    Chapel Hill police, working with the SBI, arrest Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares, then 28, of Durham, in connection with Hedgepeth's death.

  5. Sep 7, 2012, 12:00 AM

    Faith Hedgepeth, 19, a UNC Chapel Hill student, is found dead in her apartment.

Sources

  1. Chapel Hill Police Department arrest notice, Sept. 16, 2021, on the Town of Chapel Hill news archive: the department, in coordination with the SBI, arrested Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares, 28, of Durham, in connection with the murder of Faith Danielle Hedgepeth

    Official sourcePublished by Chapel Hill Police Department, via Town of Chapel Hill · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM

  2. After 9 Years, Chapel Hill Police Announce Arrest Of Durham Suspect In Murder Of UNC Student Faith Hedgepeth (WUNC: Chief Chris Blue announced the arrest; Assistant Chief Celisa Lehew identified Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares of Durham, charged with first-degree murder)

    Published by WUNC · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM

  3. Day 16 of the Faith Hedgepeth trial: State finishes presenting evidence, court to resume Wednesday (9th Street Journal, Oct. 19, 2026: charges listed as murder, burglary, sexual offense and rape; judge instructs jury only to disregard the DNA 'person responsible' remark; state rests; court resumes 9:30 a.m. Wednesday; defense to call witnesses)

    Published by 9th Street Journal · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  4. Live updates: Faith Hedgepeth murder trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares (ABC11, Oct. 19, 2026: Heinrich back on the stand; judge tells jurors to disregard the DNA 'person responsible' statement; Heinrich later said a laptop image used for handwriting comparison was a viral picture; court adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21)

    Published by ABC11 (WTVD) · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  5. Jury selection begins in murder trial for 2012 killing of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth (WRAL: Hedgepeth found Sept. 7, 2012, at Hawthorne on the View on Old Chapel Hill Road; death investigated as a homicide; Salguero-Olivares arrested in 2021)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM

  6. Prosecution rests in UNC student murder trial after 23 total witnesses testify (WRAL, Oct. 19, 2026: nine days of testimony; 23 witnesses; Heinrich the last witness; jail calls played; eight days of jury selection beginning Sept. 28; defense may present evidence but is not required to)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 4:10 PM

  7. Jail calls played, defendant breaks down in UNC student murder trial (WRAL, Oct. 19, 2026: judge left the Rosario-consistency and sexual-assault remarks standing and struck the DNA commentary; jail video call played)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 4:10 PM

  8. LIVE UPDATES: Day 9 of trial for Miguel Salguero-Olivares (Courtroom Insider, Oct. 19, 2026: Heinrich listed as state's 23rd witness; DNA line to be stricken; image on the computer widely circulated and not the defendant's writing; state rests; motion to dismiss denied; jury returns 9:30 a.m. Wednesday; defense will call witnesses)

    Published by Courtroom Insider · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  9. SBI agent tied note to Faith Hedgepeth's accused killer. It was an internet meme. (The News & Observer, Oct. 19, 2026: Heinrich told jurors the laptop image was not an original note written by the defendant)

    Published by The News & Observer · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 8:15 PM

  10. Faith Hedgepeth murder trial: State rests, judge denies defense's motion to dismiss (CBS 17, Oct. 19, 2026: ninth day of testimony; prosecutors rested after Heinrich; judge denied the dismissal motion)

    Published by CBS 17 (WNCN) · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 4:10 PM

  11. N.C. General Statute 14-17, murder (background on how North Carolina defines the crime; the Durham jury has not returned a verdict)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina General Assembly · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM

Related stories