Jurors in Faith Hedgepeth Murder Trial Describe Early Doubts and Emotional Deliberations

Several jurors who found Miguel Salguero Olivares guilty of murdering UNC Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth say the forensic evidence and the emotional weight of the trial shaped their verdict, even though some started deliberating with doubts about the prosecution's case.

ABC11 spoke with three jurors and one alternate after Olivares was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Hedgepeth was killed in 2012 in her off-campus apartment in Chapel Hill.

Juror Sandra Powell said she was among a group who went into deliberations unconvinced. "I was like, I just don't understand. I need more evidence. I'm not understanding the burglary charge and the murder," Powell said. She said she and three other jurors first questioned whether the state had met its burden of proof.

Despite those doubts, the jurors described the deliberations as intense but respectful. Julie Fowler credited the jury foreman with keeping everyone focused on the evidence and the legal instructions. He used a whiteboard to list what the jury could and could not consider. "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," Fowler said.

Defense attorneys had tried to create reasonable doubt by pointing to investigative missteps and evidence they said was overlooked or mishandled. Some jurors found that argument persuasive. Powell cited an unswabbed doorknob, missing pieces of crime scene evidence and misplaced swabs. Fowler said she shared some concerns about the investigation, but did not believe the lapses 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.

The jurors also recalled their surprise when the defense rested without calling a single witness. ABC11 was in the courtroom and saw several jurors react visibly. Juror Leon Adams said witnesses had been expected but never appeared. "At the last minute he said, 'We rest,'" Adams said.

Alternate juror Laura McCarthy said the decision left her puzzled, particularly the absence of character witnesses such as past girlfriends. She did not take part in deliberations because she was an alternate, but said the forensic testimony stayed with her. Experts explained how DNA and fingerprint evidence worked, and she was struck by how much of it pointed to Olivares. "How could it not be him?" McCarthy said.

The jurors said the trial took a heavy emotional toll, especially the graphic crime scene photos and videos they had to review. Powell said that shortly before the verdict was delivered, she and another juror stepped outside to pray. She described shaking as the judge spoke about how emotional the case had been and thanked the jury for its work. "Tears were rolling down my eyes. I'll never forget that feeling," she said.

After reaching their verdict, the jurors said they embraced one another behind closed doors, then spoke with members of Hedgepeth's family. More hugs followed as the case came to a close nearly 14 years after her death.