Defendant's palm print found on bottle at Faith Hedgepeth crime scene, expert testifies
DURHAM, N.C. -- The former lead investigator in the Faith Hedgepeth murder case returned to the witness stand Tuesday, facing defense questions about how evidence was collected and processed during the investigation.
Johnnie Britt, who led the case for years, was asked about several items at the crime scene that were never collected or tested.
During cross-examination, Britt said she did not know why a hand towel found near the sink was never collected for testing.
The defense also questioned why the bathroom trash can was not searched. Britt said she could not speak to those decisions because she was not the investigator who executed the search warrant.
Britt said she could not speak to that decision because she was not the investigator who executed the search warrant.
On redirect, prosecutors later asked Britt what, if anything, she would have done differently if she could revisit the investigation.
Britt acknowledged investigators often look back on cases to identify missed opportunities and referenced the gas cap from Hedgepeth's vehicle as one item she may have tested.
However, she maintained that additional testing would not change the significance of the DNA evidence collected in the case.
"I think with any investigation, and probably just with life in general, there's always things we look back on," Britt testified. "If we're not doing that, it's probably not a good thing because we're not learning."
She pointed to the gas cap on Faith Hedgepeth's vehicle as one item she may have chosen to test.
However, Britt said additional testing would not change the evidence investigators ultimately recovered.
"It doesn't make or break what we found in that apartment. It doesn't negate any of that DNA evidence that we have in the apartment and on Faith's body," Britt testified.
The final witness of the day was Summer Maffett, a forensic scientist with the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory.
Maffett testified she processed several items recovered from the crime scene, including the Blue Riesling wine bottle, a Bacardi bottle, Faith Hedgepeth's cellphone and cellphone case, and a white paper bag, searching for fingerprint evidence.
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She told jurors that a palm print found on the Blue Riesling bottle matched the defendant.
"The palm print was compared to lab item 77 and identified as the left palm of Miguel Enrique Salguero Alvarez," Maffett testified.
Maffett is expected to continue her testimony Wednesday. During proceedings Tuesday afternoon, she began discussing her analysis of the Bacardi rum bottle found at the crime scene.
Earlier in the day, jurors watched body-worn camera video recorded Sept. 16, 2021, showing investigators speaking with Salguero Olivares.
An SBI agent testified that the defendant appeared evasive during the interaction.
According to testimony and video shown in court, investigators asked Salguero Olivares whether he had ever seen Faith Hedgepeth. He said no. When investigators sought an interview, he repeatedly insisted he needed to go to work.
The video also showed investigators confronting Salguero Olivares and telling him they were certain he was involved in the case.
In one portion played for jurors, an investigator suggested there may be information about the events surrounding Hedgepeth's death that investigators had not yet heard.
"Maybe something happened. Got caught up in a situation you didn't mean to be in. I don't know. That's what we're trying to find out. Without you cooperating with us, we don't know that side."
The investigator then referenced the amount of time Hedgepeth's family had spent waiting for answers.
"Nine years, man. Nine years that girl's family has suffered. They just want closure, man. That's what they want. The time is now, Miguel."
Jurors appeared particularly attentive during the forensic testimony, with several taking extensive notes as Maffett explained fingerprint analysis and evidence recovered from the scene.
Salguero Olivares is charged with the 2012 killing of Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old UNC Chapel Hill student found dead in her apartment.
ABC11's Akilah Davis is at the courthouse each day and will provide updates. You can watch ABC11'sdaily livestream of the trial.
