DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Miguel Salguero Olivares, who was convicted in the killing of University of North Carolina student Faith Hedgepeth and sentenced to life in prison, filed a notice of appeal Friday, according to the court’s electronic docket.
Salguero Olivares, 33, received a sentence of life without parole after a jury found him guilty Oct. 23 of first-degree murder and three additional charges.
In closing arguments, prosecutors said Olivares left DNA evidence throughout the crime scene, describing it as being spread “like confetti.”
Several jurors told ABC11 exclusively this week that the DNA evidence played a decisive role in their guilty verdict.
Olivares did not take the stand, and his defense attorneys presented no witnesses before resting their case. Jurors deliberated for six hours over two days before convicting him of murder, rape, sexual offense and burglary.
The prosecution called nearly two dozen witnesses, including crime scene technicians, state and local law enforcement officers, a DNA specialist and friends of Hedgepeth.
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Hedgepeth was 19 and a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill when she was beaten to death inside her off-campus apartment in September 2012.
Nine years later, Salguero Olivares was arrested after being stopped for driving while impaired. Prosecutors said a DNA sample collected during that encounter matched evidence recovered from the crime scene.
After the conviction, officials held a news conference Oct. 23 at the Durham County Courthouse. Participants included Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry, members of the prosecution team, the Chapel Hill police chief and members of Hedgepeth’s family.
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