Crime · Chapel Hill, NC
Forensic Scientist Testifies Salguero-Olivares' DNA Found on Hedgepeth Murder Weapon
NC State Crime Lab forensic scientist Erin Ermish testified Thursday in the trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares for the 2012 murder of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth, presenting DNA results from crime-scene items collected by Chapel Hill Police. Ermish reported that DNA on the Bacardi rum bottle used as the alleged murder weapon was 48.6 tredecillion times more likely to belong to Hedgepeth and Salguero-Olivares than any other pair of individuals, and rectal and vaginal swabs from Hedgepeth's body returned similar statistical matches. Defense attorney James Rainsford challenged methodology changes between initial 2012 testing and retesting in 2021 after the arrest, including a stricter quantitation threshold and potential DNA degradation over nine years. Ermish testified Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. to complete her testimony.