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DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Miguel Salguero Olivares, the man convicted of killing North Carolina college student Faith Hedgepeth and sentenced to life in prison, filed a notice of appeal Friday, according to a court electronic docket.
Salguero Olivares, 33, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was convicted Oct. 23 of first-degree murder and three other charges.
Friday afternoon, the jury in the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial found Miguel Salguero Olivares guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree sexual offense, and first-degree burglary.
During closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors Olivares left his DNA all over the crime scene ‘like confetti.’
Several jurors who convicted Miguel Salguero Olivares of murdering UNC Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth told 11 that the graphic evidence, emotional testimony and extensive forensic evidence shaped their decision, even as some initially questioned whether prosecutors had proven their case.
Some jurors spoke exclusively this week with 11 and said the DNA evidence convinced them of his guilt.
Olivares did not testify during his trial, and his attorneys rested their case without calling any witnesses. Jurors deliberated for six hours over two days before finding him guilty of murder, rape, sexual offense and burglary.
Nearly two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution, including crime scene technicians, state and local law enforcement officers, a DNA expert and Hedgepeth’s friends.
Hedgepeth was a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when she was beaten to death in her off-campus apartment in September 2012.
Salguero Olivares was arrested nine years later after being pulled over for driving while impaired and providing a DNA sample that prosecutors said matched evidence from the crime scene.
Following the conviction, officials held a news conference at the Durham County Courthouse on Oct. 23. Speakers 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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