4:53 p.m. — Court in recess until tomorrow, when questioning of Hedgepeth’s roommate will continue
At 4:52 p.m., Judge Gregory dismissed the jurors for the day.
Attorneys will continue questioning Karena Rosario, Faith Hedgepeth’s roommate at the time of her death, tomorrow morning.
–Sarah Krueger, Managing Editor
3:45 p.m. – Prosecution continues to question Hedgepeth’s roommate
The trial continues with the prosecution asking Karena Rosario more questions about her relationship with Faith Hedgepeth, her roommate.
Rosario said Hedgepeth moved into her one-bedroom apartment in the summer of 2012, after Rosario’s ex-boyfriend moved out.
“Her lease was up…She didn’t want to pay for a new lease, it was just financially a lot at the time,” Rosario said. “She asked if she could move in with me. We didn’t really have like a plan, but I obviously, I said yes.”
Hedgepeth and Rosario shared a queen mattress, Rosario said, with each of them sleeping on opposite ends.
“I would say at that point, it felt like she was like a sister to me,” Rosario said. “We were pretty much sharing everything at that point… I felt like I was kind of on an island just the two of us, a bit… initially it just kind of felt like a never-ending sleepover… she would cook for me because I was just like not a great cook.”
After Hedgepeth moved in, Rosario said there wasn’t a lot of space. Photos shown to the court depict a messy apartment with clothing strewn around the living room.
“I felt like we were just surviving at the time,” Rosario said. “We had two apartments’ worth of stuff, and I think we just never had the time to clean it up.”
When asked by the prosecutor if the two roommates ever had any conflict over the mess, cleaning, chores, school, or boys, Rosario said no.
“I loved her… we knew where everything was,” she said. “To us, it was like our chaos, but we could always find what we needed.”
The prosecution is continuing its questioning of Rosario, which is likely to continue into tomorrow.
–JAMES NGUYEN
3:00 p.m. – Court resumes, Hedgepeth’s roommate Karena Rosario takes the stand
After an hour-and-a-half long lunch break, the prosecution called its second witness, Karena Rosario. Rosario was a UNC student and Hedgepeth’s roommate at the time of her death.
Assistant District Attorney Lisa Coltrain asked Rosario about how the two women became friends. Rosario said she met Hedgepeth their freshman year through a mutual friend, and that she and Hedgepeth lived in the same residence hall on campus.
“Faith was super bubbly,” Rosario said. “She was the kind of soul, she always made you laugh. She came up with goofy dances.”
Rosario said she grew up with a twin sister in New Jersey, always doing things together. After moving out for college, she stated she just wanted to find her people. Rosario found Hedgepeth to be like a sister.
“She had this way of making you feel comfortable with her,” Rosario said. “Easy to love. Just an easy friend. We would eat together, late night snacking, in between classes we hung out. I wish we studied more, but we always kind of got distracted, just talking.”
In the summer of 2011, Rosario said she and Hedgepeth moved into an apartment together, with another friend.
“It felt kind of natural. We spent all of freshman year together, we were really close friends,” Rosario said. “I think we knew that if we decided to dorm, all three of us wouldn’t be together.”
The assistant district attorney is continuing to ask Rosario questions about her relationship with Hedgepeth, and what happened in the hours leading up to Hedgepeth’s death.
–JAMES NGUYEN
12:45 p.m. – Court on lunch break, next witness to be called is Hedgepeth’s roommate, Karena Rosario
Following Evans’ testimony, Judge Gregory dismissed the jury from the courtroom for lunch break.
He announced the next witness to be called is Karena Rosario, Hedgepeth’s roommate at the time of her death in 2012. Rosario’s testimony is expected to take a few hours. In its opening statement, the defense sought to cast doubt on her behavior during and after the time of Hedgepeth’s death. The 9th Street Journal reported on a pretrial hearing last month, in which the judge ruled that Salguero-Olivares’ attorneys cannot implicate Rosario in their arguments.
Court will resume at 2:30 p.m., when Rosario will take the stand.
–MÉLIA LEMOINE
12:30 p.m. – Assistant District Attorney calls the first witness, Hedgepeth’s niece
Prosecutors called 33-year-old Alexis Evans to the witness stand. Evans, the niece of Faith Hedgepeth, reflected on fond memories of growing up alongside Hedgepeth.
“We did all of the things the kids do, I think we were just your typical girls. We loved to play outside,” she said.
Evans described Hedgepeth to be an intriguing, friendly, and intelligent young woman, with aspirations of being a pediatrician.
Evans recalled last seeing Hedgepeth on the Sunday before her death. She claims to have not previously met the defendant, Miguel Salguero-Olivares, nor know him personally.
The state concluded by showing the courtroom a photo of Hedgepeth from her most recent birthday before her death.
–QUINN WHERLEY
12:15 p.m. – Opening statements complete
Prosecutors and defense attorneys have concluded their opening statements.
In her 18-minute statement to the jury, Assistant District Attorney Angela Garcia-Lamarca stressed the DNA evidence in the case.
“[Miguel Salguero-Olivares] left his DNA on the murder weapon, a Bacardi rum bottle that was otherwise covered in blood. He left his DNA on the boxer shorts Faith used to sleep in. He left her used, bloodied tampon on the floor next to the bed after he pulled it out of her body. He left his DNA inside her vagina: his semen and sperm. He left his DNA inside her rectum: his semen and his sperm. He left his DNA and his palm print and his left thumb print on a blue Riesling bottle that was found on the floor at the foot of the bed.”
In his 40-minute opening statement, defense attorney James Rainsford noted law enforcement either lost or did not test some evidence during the investigation.
“What’s getting tested is only as good as the way that it’s collected, the way that it’s handled…I think you’re going to have questions about how things were handled,” he said.
He also cast doubt on the DNA evidence and how much weight it should hold for jurors.
“When you hear his DNA was on the bottle, sometimes it creates the sense of ‘oh we’ve got a match,’” Rainsford said. “That’s not even close to what it is.”
Now, prosecutors will proceed with calling witnesses and presenting evidence.
–QUINN WHERLEY
10:25 a.m. – Judge dismisses remaining jury pool
A few dozen people had remained in the jury pool who were never called. Judge Gregory called them into the courtroom, and thanked them for their patience and service since last Monday.
“You will not have jury duty for the next two years,” Judge Gregory said.
He expressed gratitude for the jury pool’s service on behalf of the attorneys, court staff, and the court system.
“We could not do what we do without you,” he said.
–MÉLIA LEMOINE
10:10 a.m. — Final alternate juror selected, opening statements to begin soon
Defense attorneys and prosecutors have finally agreed on the fourth and final alternate juror. With the 12 members of the jury and four alternates now selected, opening statements are set to begin soon.
–MÉLIA LEMOINE
9:35 a.m. — It’s Wednesday, Oct. 7 — the eighth day of trial for the man accused of killing University of North Carolina student Faith Hedgepeth in September 2012.
Late yesterday, the court finally agreed on a third alternate juror, meaning only one more alternate is needed and then opening statements can begin.
The 12 primary members of the jury were selected last week and earlier this week. The process for finding jurors has been an arduous one. More than 40 prospective jurors have been dismissed for various reasons including medical conditions, upcoming travel and pre-existing opinions about the case that would prevent them from being fair and impartial during trial.
–Sarah Krueger, Managing Editor
Photo at top: The trial is taking place at the Durham County Courthouse. Photo by Sarah Krueger — The 9th Street Journal
9th Street Journal Staff
