Jurors describe emotional deliberations, early doubts in Faith Hedgepeth murder trial
DURHAM, N.C. -- Several jurors who convicted Miguel Salguero Olivares of murdering UNC Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth say the graphic evidence, emotional testimony and extensive forensic evidence shaped their decision, even as some initially questioned whether prosecutors had proven their case.
ABC11 spoke with three jurors and one alternate following Olivares' sentencing to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Hedgepeth's 2012 killing in her off-campus Chapel Hill apartment.
Sandra Powell said she was among several jurors who entered deliberations with doubts.
"I was like, I just don't understand. I need more evidence. I'm not understanding the burglary charge and the murder," Powell said.
Powell said she and three other jurors initially questioned whether the state had met its burden of proof. Still, jurors described deliberations as intense but respectful. Julie Fowler credited the jury foreman with helping keep the group focused on the evidence and legal instructions.
"Our jury foreman put up on the whiteboard what we can consider and what we can't," Fowler said. "Whenever I got hesitant and thought, 'What about this?' I could look up there and realize that's part of what we're not supposed to consider."
Throughout the trial, defense attorneys sought to raise reasonable doubt by highlighting investigative missteps and evidence they argued was overlooked or mishandled.
Those arguments resonated with some jurors.
"The doorknob wasn't swabbed. The crime scene with the evidence, little bitty pieces, was missing. Swabs getting misplaced. Things like that," Powell said.
Fowler acknowledged concerns about the investigation but said she was not convinced they changed the outcome.
"The things that were missed, I think if we had those things, I don't know for sure if it would have made a big difference," she said.
Jurors also recalled their reaction when the defense unexpectedly rested its case without calling any witnesses.
ABC11 was in the courtroom when several jurors appeared visibly surprised after defense attorneys rested without presenting testimony.
"Didn't present nobody. No witnesses. There was supposed to be witnesses. Didn't show. At the last minute he said, 'We rest,'" juror Leon Adams said.
Alternate juror Laura McCarthy said she was also confused by the move.
"Yeah, we were confused on, like, why not some character witness? Saying he was a good person, if he was. Maybe past girlfriends. Something," McCarthy said.
McCarthy did not participate in deliberations because she was an alternate juror. However, she said the forensic evidence left a lasting impression.
"Witness experts we had really explained how DNA worked, how his fingerprints worked and just the alarming amount of evidence that pointed. How could it not be him?" McCarthy said.
The jurors said the trial took an emotional toll, particularly as they reviewed graphic crime scene photos and videos.
Powell said that shortly before the jury returned its verdict, she and another juror stepped outside to pray.
"I was literally shaking," Powell said. "The judge was looking at me talking and saying how emotional this case had been. He appreciates everything we had done. Tears were rolling down my eyes. I'll never forget that feeling."
After reaching a verdict, jurors said they embraced behind closed doors before speaking with members of Hedgepeth's family.
According to the jurors, more hugs were exchanged as the long-running case came to a close nearly 14 years after Hedgepeth's death.
