Defense Files New Motions: New Developments in the Murder Case of Faith Hedgepeth
The defense team for accused murderer Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares has filed a new motion that attempts to discredit the account of Faith Hedgepeth's roommate Karena Rosario
In December 2023, Tales From the Underworld covered the story of the tragic murder of Faith Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old biology student at the University of North Carolina who was found murdered in her off-campus Durham apartment on the morning of September 7, 2012.
The unusual circumstances of Faith’s murder left authorities puzzled, and for nearly a decade, her family and friends waited in hope that justice might one day come. In 2021, thanks to breakthroughs in DNA technology, police arrested 28-year-old Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares and charged him with first-degree murder.
However, justice has been slow-moving, and Salguero-Olivares remains locked up awaiting trial nearly four years after his arrest. Recently, though, several new developments have emerged in the case, including additional charges against Salguero-Olivares and new motions by his defense team.
Backstory
Faith Hedgepeth was a bright and promising young woman who was looking forward to becoming the first member of her family to graduate from college. As an indigenous woman and member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, Faith was actively involved in her sorority, Alpha Pi Omega, an indigenous sorority founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Faith was beloved by her friends, family, and sorority sisters, and she aspired to live out her passion for working with children after graduation.
On September 6th, 2012, Faith attended a rush event for Alpha Pi Omega. Afterwards, she and her roommate, Karena Rosario, went to the Davis Library to spend the rest of the evening studying. After spending most of the night there, Faith and Karena decided to reward themselves with a trip to a local club called The Thrill.
According to Karena’s statement, the pair left the club around 2 a.m. on September 7th when Karena wasn’t feeling well. They returned home by 3 a.m. Karena claims that she continued to feel unwell, so she left the apartment after Faith had gone to bed, leaving the door unlocked.
The following morning, Karena reached out to Faith to ask about getting a ride home, but Faith did not answer. When Karena did return home, she stumbled upon a horrific and gruesome scene: Faith was leaning up against the side of her bed, bloodied and beaten. She was topless, and it was immediately apparent that she had been both sexually assaulted and savagely beaten. Karena called the police, who responded to the scene.
Faith’s autopsy revealed numerous substantial head injuries, sexual assault, and DNA evidence that matched 52 other locations within the apartment. Authorities also found an empty glass bottle and an empty paper bag near Faith’s body with the words “I’M NOT STUPID B***H JEALOUS” scrawled sloppily on it.
After forensic technology advancements allowed for more accurate DNA identification, the samples taken from Faith’s autopsy were reexamined. Thanks to this, authorities were able to create a DNA profile based on the samples found at the crime scene.
The DNA was later matched to 28-year-old Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares, who was arrested in Raleigh on unrelated DUI charges a few weeks prior. In September 2021, nearly a decade after Faith was murdered, an arrest was finally made.
Now, four years later, Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares awaits trial, charged with the first-degree murder of Faith Hedgepeth. In November 2024, the indictment against Salguero-Olivares was expanded to include charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree rape, and first-degree sexual offense.
New Developments
In July of 2025, Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares’ defense team put forward a motion that has ignited a firestorm of speculation. While the defense does not contest the indisputable proof of Olivares’s presence at the scene, given the ample DNA evidence and fingerprints found in Faith’s room, they are attempting to cast doubt on Faith’s roommate, Karena Rosario.
Allegedly, Karena had blood on her fingers, and the defense is calling for all blood and DNA samples to be released and tested independently. Karena has not been a person of interest in the case, and she has never formally been charged with anything pertaining to Faith’s murder.
Karena claims to have left their apartment in the early morning hours after she and Faith returned from The Thrill, leaving Faith in bed sleeping. Karena says she was picked up around 4:25 a.m. by fellow student and UNC soccer player Jordan McCrary, and that she went to his apartment after he picked her up.
However, the defense is now calling for the deposition of Jordan McCrary and is requesting that his deposition be on the record. What the defense is hoping to prove by deposing Jordan is currently unclear.
The filings put forward by defense attorney James Rainsford call for the release of all blood samples and collected swabs for testing, but specifically, the defense appears interested in a bloodstain found inside the doorframe of the bathroom. Karena told police she had been sitting in that exact place from the time the two arrived home until she left the apartment just before 4:30 a.m.
It appears the defense might be trying to prove that Karena was home when Faith was murdered, though it’s unlikely they will try to paint Karena as the murderer. The DNA and physical evidence linking Salguero-Olivares to the sexual assault and murder are too substantial to deny. However, the defense may be attempting to poke holes in the evidence, which could lead to a more favorable outcome for their client.
Additional Drug Charges
New criminal charges have also been filed against Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares. Salguero-Olivares was expected to appear in court in July on additional drug-related charges, which include possession of a controlled substance on prison property, possession of methamphetamine, and possession with the intent to distribute.
The court appearance, however, did not happen as scheduled, as Salguero-Olivares’ defense team filed a motion to have the controlled substance independently tested. Salguero-Olivares claims he has multiple prescriptions that he obtained legally, and one of those prescriptions can produce a false positive result for methamphetamine.
This case will resume in late September, but the proceedings for Salguero-Olivares’ drug charges remain independent of his trial for the murder of Faith Hedgepeth.
Closing Thoughts
Due to the substantial amount of evidence, as well as the recent defense motions, it is unclear when we can expect Olivares’ trial to begin. The state has identified a number of expert witnesses, allegedly 30 or more, whom they intend to call to testify. For now, Olivares remains in jail without the possibility of bail.
Though justice has been a long time coming, Faith’s family remains committed to keeping her legacy alive, and the Faith’s Smile Scholarship continues to spread positivity and hope in the wake of such a heartbreaking tragedy.
As additional updates are released, this story will continue to be one worth following, and hopefully, sooner rather than later, Faith’s loved ones will finally have the justice they deserve.
Sources:
Casey, Monica. “New Motions in Faith Hedgepeth Case Mention Roommate Had Blood on Finger.” WRAL, 10 July 2025, wral.com/news/local/faith-hedgepeth-motions-witness-dna-allegations-july-2025/.
Hanrahan, Kathy. “Blood Stain in the Bathroom: New Motions in Faith Hedgepeth Case Involve Two-Inch-Long Stain.” WRAL, 7 Aug. 2025, www.wral.com/news/local/blood-stains-bathroom-motions-faith-hedgepeth-case-chapel-hill-august-2025/.
Rosati, Keith and ABC11. “Defense Files Motion Targeting Roommate in Faith Hedgepeth Murder Case.” ABC11 (WTVD), 11 July 2025, abc11.com/post/faith-hedgepeth-case-defense-files-motion-targeting-roommate-karena-rosario/17060271/.
Smith, Alex. “Nearly a Decade After Her Murder, a Suspect Has Been Named in the Killing of UNC Student Faith Hedgepeth.” Tales from the Underworld, 19 Dec. 2023, www.talesfromtheunderworld.com/p/nearly-a-decade-after-her-murder.
Thanks for the update, and for bringing this story to my attention. Maybe someone will write a true crime book about it.