Jury resumes deliberations in Faith Hedgepeth murder trial in Durham

Jury deliberations have resumed in the murder trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares, charged with the 2012 death of UNC-Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth, WRAL reported. The jury began their first full day of deliberations after hearing closing arguments from both prosecution and defense on Thursday.

During closing arguments, prosecutors emphasized DNA and forensic evidence linking Salguero-Olivares to Hedgepeth and the crime scene, according to WRAL and CBS17. The defense countered by highlighting unanswered questions and argued the evidence did not prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Jurors initially deliberated for about two hours on Thursday before requesting additional evidence, including summaries of latent fingerprint and DNA lab reports, WRAL and ABC11 WTVD reported. This request indicates jurors are focusing on the forensic evidence presented during the trial.

Legal experts noted the complexity of the case, with jurors needing to carefully evaluate the DNA evidence and other key questions within the framework of the judge's instructions, ABC11 WTVD reported. The trial has drawn attention after 14 years of investigation into Hedgepeth's death.

Deliberations are ongoing, with jurors expected to continue reviewing the evidence to determine whether the prosecution has met the burden of proof for charges including first-degree murder, rape, sexual offense, and burglary, WRAL stated.