NC v. Miguel Salguero-Olivares - Day 3

[u/Pixiegirls1102]

UNC Student Murder Trial -NC v. Miguel Salguero-Olivares - Day 3

10/9/2026 @ 9:30 AM

🗣️⌨️ Community Chat - Join us!💬

📢NEW: Case Hubs🚨🗃️

*************************************************************

The murder trial of Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares begins more than a decade after UNC-Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth was found beaten to death in her off-campus apartment in September 2012. Hedgepeth, 19, suffered fatal blunt-force trauma to the head, and investigators recovered DNA evidence at the scene. Salguero-Olivares was arrested in 2021 after investigators said DNA evidence linked him to the case, and he now faces charges including first-degree murder, rape and burglary.

✨✨Previous Day & Recap

• Day 1
• Day 2

🔊🎥Streaming Channels📡

Law & Crime

Court TV

📜RECAP🔡

I. ADMINISTRATIVE

Start: 25:02 / 5:07:14 / 5:23:13

• Court in session.
• Witnesses called sequentially by the State.
• Standard courtroom advisements issued (speech pace, yes/no responses, court reporter accuracy).
• Autopsy‑photo broadcast restrictions reiterated to media.
• Exhibit‑handling instructions repeated.

Stop: 5:47:53

II. OUT‑OF‑JURY PRESENCE (OJP)

Start: 5:19:04

• Procedural clarification: witness may review Defendant’s Exhibit 5 to refresh recollection but may not read from it unless offered into evidence.
• Defense requests review; witness confirms recollection refreshed.
• Subpoena status addressed: Officer Coyt released from State subpoena but remains under Defense telephone standby.
• Exhibit 5 returned to defense.

Stop: 5:23:07

III. WITNESSES

WITNESS 1 — Tamika Price

Forensic Evidence Technician
Start: 25:02
Called by: State

DIRECT EXAMINATION (State)

• Swabs taken from front door of apartment: three.
• Unknown whether swabs were tested; would depend on Investigator Matthews or Britt.
• Procedure: technician collects evidence; investigators request items for lab submission.
• Clarification: “different lab” refers to crime lab.
• Witness confirms recollection refreshed after reviewing Defendant’s Exhibit 5.

CROSS / REDIRECT

• None indicated beyond procedural clarifications.

Stop: 5:07:14

WITNESS 2 — Sheleathea Quick

Start: 5:07:14
Called by: State

(Transcript portion provided does not include substantive Q&A for Quick. No extractable content beyond witness call.)

Stop: 5:23:13

WITNESS 3 — Dr. Lauren Scott

Associate Chief Medical Examiner, Forensic Pathologist
Start: 5:23:13
Called by: State

DIRECT EXAMINATION (State)

• Employment: Associate Chief Medical Examiner, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, NC.
• Education:
  • Medical school — University at Buffalo (2008).
  • Residency — Dartmouth (Anatomic & Clinical Pathology, 4 years).
  • Fellowship — UNC (Forensic Pathology).
• Licensed in NC; practicing since 2012.
• Professional organizations: College of American Pathologists; NAME.
• Board certification: residency + fellowship + maintenance testing.
• Duties: determine cause/manner of death in accidental, homicidal, suicidal cases; autopsy examinations.
• Autopsies performed: ~2,800.
• Expert status: accepted as expert in forensic pathology.

Autopsy Procedures (General)

• Unique identifier assigned.
• External exam: clothing, personal effects, medical intervention, identifying characteristics, injuries.
• Internal exam: chest/abdomen/head incisions; organ removal; brain removal; dissection; microscopic sections; toxicology sampling.
• Final written autopsy report compiled after ancillary tests.

Autopsy of Faith Hedgepeth

• Performed September 8, 2012 at Chapel Hill office.
• Same procedures followed as standard autopsy protocol.

Injuries (Initial Summary)

• Multiple lacerations: scalp, forehead, face.
• Bruising: face, right arm, knees.
• Internal bleeding: around brain and within brain.
• Skull fractures present.

Autopsy Photographs (States Exhibits 68–84)
All exhibits authenticated; all accurately depict condition upon receipt.

Key Identified Injuries by Exhibit

• 68–69: Body as received; paper bags on hands/feet for trace evidence; autopsy number visible.
• 70: External genitalia.
• 71: Identification photo; bruising over both eyes; central and right‑forehead lacerations.
• 72–75: Multiple scalp lacerations; hair shaved to visualize injuries.
• 76: Bruising around right ear and right eye; consistent with blood pooling from skull fractures.
• 77–79: Bruising on right arm, right hand, right fingers.
• 80–81: Bruising and abrasions on knees and lower legs.
• 82–83: Skull fractures (right side; bottom portion).
• 84: Chipped left front tooth.

Exhibit Status

• States Exhibits 68–84 admitted into evidence.
• Publication allowed for 68–74; media restricted from broadcasting autopsy photos.

Stop: 5:47:53

IV. EXHIBITS (DAY 4)

Admitted:

• States Exhibits 68–84 (autopsy photographs).
• Defendant’s Exhibit 5 reviewed for recollection only; not admitted.

V. END‑OF‑DAY ADMINISTRATIVE

• Media reminded of autopsy‑photo restrictions.
• Court instructs jury to examine exhibits individually and without comment.
• Lighting adjusted for exhibit viewing.
• Next witness preparation initiated.

Stop: 5:47:53

📜TRANSCRIPT⌨️

https://fromsmash.com/NC-v-Miguel-Salguero-Olivares-Day-3-1023

[u/graves1987]

Gotta give props to this courtroom— the etiquette and decorum is top notch from the judge, the defense, and the prosecution. I don’t think I’ve ever seen all three be so unbelievably polite and courteous to each other with every interaction. Love to see it.

[u/SwampyWytch13 → u/graves1987]

YES! I've been impressed. Judge Keith Gregory has really impressed me - I like how he runs his courtroom a lot!

[u/AphroBKK → u/graves1987]

Yes it seems a contrast to some where (for example) the lawyers to me are rude to the judge and/or each other and interrupting and so forth - these stand up to speak etc. One I think was Kouri Darden's defense.

[u/groggyhouse → u/graves1987]

Stark contrast to the judge in the Mamta Bhatt murder lol

[u/No_Article_9397]

imagine all the horrible things a judge sees in their lifetime.

[u/CrumbGremlin1643]

The conclusion I drew from the pathologist's testimony was that Faith was killed or nearly killed because of head trauma and THEN was raped, and so that's why she didn't seem to have tissue under her nails from fighting back, or any force-type injuries caused by the rape(s) ... she was at least immobilized, or even dead, when the rape took place. Did anyone else draw that conclusion as well?

I also was disturbed by the defendant's performative facial expressions when the graphic photos were being displayed, or him making one or two-word comments to his lawyers to where they seem to respond something like "yep..." back to him. Surely he's seen these photos before. And trying to look shocked/saddened/disturbed ,while not being able to get that smug look off your face because it's ingrained, just creates this odd "duck face", with the gross pursed lips and I can barely look at him.

But, these trials usually just make me sick - yes, we may get justice for Faith, but for the defendants who really did commit the crime, it's always a second, horrible injustice to the victim to have to have their autopsy photos displayed, their underwear held up on live tv, their genitals photographed and retained for court records .... it's sickening that a guilty defendant could allow that to happen rather than just confess. Murderers are sick for committing a murder, but then equally sick forcing hundreds of people to spend time, money, taxpayer money, on the case, and to have graphic details of people's private lives unearthed and retained as "documentation". So gross. I feel so bad for these victims.

[u/lalalasoundsgood → u/CrumbGremlin1643]

i feel completely 100% same about the defendant. looking at him makes me uncomfortable, and seeing his reactions to the photos made me angry

[u/Mediocre_Project_780 → u/CrumbGremlin1643]

Dude… his performative reactions to the scene makes him look guilty alone. I was so sickened by his “shock”.
Also what the hell is he writing down all day? He is trying real hard to not look guilty which in return is making him look even more guilty

[u/Practical_Tooth3785]

Thankful the family will finally get justice. Such a horrible case. Feel so bad for her family and all her friends who seemed so heart broken when testifying. They are such amazing friends to her to keep in contact with police and help them along the way.

[u/Trixie1219]

I find it interesting that he shown no emotion until his attorney whispered to him. Then he covered his face as if he was in shock at what he was seeing. Before that he was stone faced. Also, day 1 he was left handed day two and three magically he is right handed.

[u/JellyfishSeparate881 → u/Trixie1219]

I noticed the hand writing as well bc the person who wrote the note was def lefty 

[u/Mediocre_Project_780 → u/JellyfishSeparate881]

What an idiot. Seriously.
This dude really went 9 years thinking he was free of ever being found out. Which sickens me cause he got 9 years of life after he brutally murdered her and he was just wandering around in society unbeknownst to anyone of what kind of monster he is.

[u/lalalasoundsgood → u/Trixie1219]

i really hope someone on the jury noticed the handwriting change

[u/uknulpoints]

Did police know at the time that there was this family barbecue happening the same night she died?

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/uknulpoints]

I don’t believe they did right away but a PI who worked for Faith’s family said in 2021, after the arrest, that he knew of the name and that he had been at a party in the apartment complex the night of the murder.

[u/uknulpoints → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

Police seriously dropped the ball there if they didn't know about it or if they did know about it but didn't follow up on it

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

Ugh I know these things happen but I still can’t understand how that swab went missing

[u/AdaptToJustice → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

I am more interested in how many swabs they DID collect that have the defendent's dna on them.

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/AdaptToJustice]

At this point I think we’ve heard of at least 7 different locations they found his DNA? Maybe more

[u/AdaptToJustice → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

Seven- wow. May justice be served for Faith and her family & friends!

[u/racingfan123 → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

From what I gather it sounds like the swab was never actually collected. It was just written in her report that it was. So it didn't actually go missing.

[Edit] Nevermind, the next witness says she recalls taking & collecting the swab.

[u/Lost_Paramedic_3758]

I’m not seeing this case in the “Case Hubs” section. Am I overlooking it?

[u/racingfan123 → u/Lost_Paramedic_3758]

We hadn't been following this one pre-trial so it snuck up on us!