NC v. Miguel Salguero-Olivares — Day 2

[u/Pixiegirls1102]

UNC Student Murder Trial -NC v. Miguel Salguero-Olivares - Day 2

10/8/2026 @ 9:30 AM

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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

🔊🎥Streaming Channels📡

Law & Crime

📜RECAP🔡

I. ADMINISTRATIVE (13:40–22:20)

• Court reconvened; jurors present.
• Discussion of prior court order regarding third‑party guilt evidence.
• State and defense confirm understanding of admissible topics.
• Judge outlines work schedule for the day.
• No additional administrative matters.

II. OUT‑OF‑JURY PRESENCE (OJP)

(None beyond administrative clarifications.)

III. WITNESS BLOCKS (Chronological)

(22:22) WITNESS: CORRINA ROSARIO

Called by: Defense
Start: 22:22
End: ~1:30

Direct Examination (Defense):

• Confirms intoxication upon arriving home from the Thrill.
• States she threw up in the bedroom; Faith present at that moment.
• Went to bathroom afterward; sat on floor crying.
• Estimates texting began around 3:30 based on timestamps.
• States she remained on bathroom floor until leaving at 4:21 when Jordan called.
• Did not brush teeth or clean up; focused on texting.
• Did not see Faith again after going to bathroom.
• Trash can with vomit still in bedroom next morning.
• Confirms written statement from 9/7/12; signed on 9/7.
• States she left apartment without grabbing clothes or backpack.
• Says she had clothes at Jordan’s house previously.
• Confirms emotional state; says Faith gave her space.
• Confirms she called Faith 14 times between 8:46–10:13 AM.
• Confirms bathroom was her “safe space” despite broken door.
• Confirms she told police she left tube top at Jordan’s; later found at apartment.
• Confirms she changed into purple shirt at Jordan’s.
• Confirms she had bathing suit at Jordan’s.
• Confirms she had been intimate with Brandon previously.
• Confirms she marked location of where she sat in bathroom.
• Confirms she was shown photos of blood on bathroom door frame in 2026.
• Confirms Jordan told police she had blood on her hand; she denies knowing source.
• States she believed it was vomit.
• Confirms she did not mention rum bottle being moved during walkthrough with police.
• Confirms she left apartment wearing same clothes as Thrill.
• Confirms she texted Faith at 8:48 asking for notebook/folder.
• Confirms memory gaps due to trauma and time.

Cross:

• Brief; no major contradictions.

(1:30:28) WITNESS: TALIB COCHRAN

Called by: State
Start: 1:30:28
End: 1:49:18

Direct:

• Security staff at the Thrill in 2012.
• Knew Faith and Karina through work and mutual friends.
• Described them as close friends; Faith protective.
• States Faith did not drink much; Karina drank more but not excessively.
• Confirms he gave them armbands.
• Identifies surveillance footage showing their arrival and departure.
• Describes interactions with patrons; nothing concerning.
• Confirms he assisted police with surveillance review after learning of Faith’s death.
• States police treated him rudely during questioning.
• Does not know defendant; never heard Faith mention Miguel.

Cross:

• Brief; no contradictions.

(1:49:18) WITNESS: ERVIN MITCHELL

Called by: State
Start: 1:49:18
End: 2:17:28

Direct:

• Security/event staffing owner; worked at Thrill.
• Knew Faith and Karina through Brandon Edwards.
• Described them as friendly, responsible, not problematic.
• Confirms he saw them at Thrill on 9/6–9/7.
• Confirms Faith drank minimally; Karina drank more.
• Confirms he gave them armbands.
• Identifies surveillance footage.
• Confirms he helped police fast‑forward surveillance to relevant timestamps.
• Confirms he was questioned as potential suspect; felt mistreated.
• Does not know defendant; never heard Faith mention Miguel.

Cross:

• Brief; no contradictions.

(2:17:28) WITNESS: JORDAN McCRARY

Called by: State
Start: 2:17:28
End: 3:26:28

Direct:

• UNC soccer player; met Faith and Karina in 2011.
• Describes on‑and‑off dating relationship with Karina.
• Confirms he saw Faith and Karina at Thrill on 9/6.
• Confirms he left Thrill around 2:15–2:30 AM.
• Confirms Karina texted him about picking up clothing left at his house.
• Confirms he picked Karina up around 4:21 AM.
• Confirms Karina told him she had blood on her hand; he reported this to police.
• Confirms he lived at 103 Longview.
• Confirms he saw Karina emotional and intoxicated.
• Does not know defendant; never heard Faith mention Miguel.

Cross:

• Brief; no contradictions.

(5:15:49) WITNESS: LINDA HOLP (911 Dispatcher)

Called by: State
Start: 5:15:49
End: 5:28:42

Direct:

• Retired Durham 911 call taker.
• Confirms she took 911 call from Karina on 9/7/12.
• Confirms call recording is accurate except phone number redaction.
• 911 call played for jury.
• Dispatcher instructed Karina to check breathing, move Faith, look for vomit, unlock door.
• Karina reported blood everywhere, Faith cold, unresponsive.

Cross:

• None.

(5:29:07) WITNESS: MARISOL RANGEL

Called by: State
Start: 5:29:07
End: 6:04:31

Direct:

• Close friend of Faith and Karina from UNC.
• Describes Faith as joyful, goofy; Karina as quiet, meek.
• Confirms she received texts from Karina night before but saw them next morning.
• Confirms Karina was emotional, discussing abortion, drinking, abusive ex.
• Confirms she picked Karina up from Jordan’s and drove to apartment.
• Confirms they found Faith unresponsive; describes blood, tampon on floor, shirt pulled up.
• Confirms she could not touch Faith; Karina checked pulse.
• Confirms they waited outside for responders.
• Confirms they were separated and taken to Campus Health.
• Confirms Karina’s ex arrived at scene; she alerted police due to restraining order.
• Confirms she later stopped contact with Karina due to emotional strain.
• Does not know defendant; never heard Faith mention Miguel.

Cross:

• None.

(6:08:22) WITNESS: MICHAEL CASTRO (CHPD Officer)

Called by: State
Start: 6:08:22
End: 6:15:59

Direct:

• Responded to 5639 Old Durham Road, Apt 1502.
• Second officer on scene.
• Cleared apartment for safety.
• Describes Faith half on/half off bed, shirt up near neck, comforter over lower body.
• Observed blood spatter on walls and closet area.
• Did not render aid; first officer already checked.
• Assisted with crime scene tape and escorting residents.

Cross:

• None.

(7:41:42) WITNESS: TAMIKA PRICE (Forensic Evidence Technician)

Called by: State
Start: 6:42:12
End: 7:41:42

Direct:

• CHPD forensic evidence technician; started July 2012.
• Responded to homicide scene with second tech.
• Conducted walkthrough with investigators Britt and Wyatt.
• Describes apartment layout and evidence path.
• Confirms video taken first, then photographs, then evidence markers.
• Identifies building layout (State’s Exhibit 3).
• Identifies flash drive containing crime scene video/photos (State’s Exhibit 25).
• Confirms chain of custody procedures.

Cross:

• None.

IV. EXHIBITS

• Surveillance footage from Thrill (multiple timestamps).
• Written statement of Corrina Rosario (State’s Exhibit 22).
• 911 call recording (State’s Exhibit 14).
• Crime scene overhead layout (State’s Exhibit 3).
• Crime scene video/photos (State’s Exhibit 25).

V. END‑OF‑DAY ADMINISTRATIVE

• Court recessed after final witness.
• Jury dismissed for the day.
• No additional motions or issues raised.

📜TRANSCRIPT⌨️

https://fromsmash.com/NC-v-Miguel-Salguero-Olivares-Day-2-1022

[u/AphroBKK]

Who was the witness who was in a casual intimate relationship with Faith? I understand why his testimony was useful. to the prosecution.

[u/LOLtimes5 → u/AphroBKK]

Taaliv Cochrane

[u/Nightstick11]

I was reading comments on YouTube and I can't believe there are people who still believe the roommate is the murderer. It's like those people who still wear hazmat suits because of "long Covid" or those Japanese soldiers after World War 2 who surrendered 30 years after the war ended.

Come out from the cave, the sun does wonders for your skin.

[u/Lost_Paramedic_3758 → u/Nightstick11]

This is certainly a weird phenomenon in many high-profile cases—it seems like these people want every case to be Karen Read’s case, and the reality is that that case was a total outlier in virtually every way. I understand viewing LE with a healthy dose of skepticism when we have seen some truly rotten apples, but approaching every case like it was a botched investigation with biased LEOs and a wildly implausible explanation that points to “some other dude did it” just doesn’t seem reasonable. Especially when the “alternate suspects” they’re pointing to are traumatized victims (Patrick Clancy, Karena Rosario) whose lives have been ripped apart not only by the crime itself but then further by unfounded internet speculation.

One thing I’ll add: the defense attorneys added MUCH more fuel to the fire in this case. They laid out wild allegations about Karena and others in their public filings, news outlets reported these claims, and then internet detectives ran wild with them.

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/Lost_Paramedic_3758]

The defense attorneys took a text Karena sent about the abuse she suffered in her previous relationship, used half a sentence from it and included it in a public filing to make it seem like Karena was texting about being in a fight at 3am that night. Shameful.

[u/Lost_Paramedic_3758 → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

Yes! That’s so slimy. The text made complete sense when you heard the surrounding context.

[u/ReverseFlow23 → u/Nightstick11]

YouTube commenters always try to come up with alternate suspects for a crime. It's kinda amusing but also kinda weird.

[u/Upset_Feature1140 → u/ReverseFlow23]

Because they get the engagement and interactions when people disagree and added comments to their page. Then they ask their “fans” to send money so they can continue to cover the case or others like it!

[u/Pixiegirls1102 → u/Nightstick11]

Corrina? Nothing sounded like it would be her. Even the testimony of others saying how distraught she was, and trying to find information, didn't say anything to point the police towards her. YouTube comments are always the craziest, next to Tik Tok comments though.

[u/Nightstick11 → u/Pixiegirls1102]

Yeah, I think the people who believed for years that Karena did it are reluctant to unclench their fists on their blankie.

[u/Pixiegirls1102 → u/Nightstick11]

That's a shame for her. Poor girl.

[u/Illuminating2086]

I wish the autopsy had a better time of death than just the window of who saw her last to the 911 call

[u/Pixiegirls1102 → u/Illuminating2086]

It would be helpful. Unattended Deaths can only go by when EMS shows up and it's called, or they somehow have an audio, video, or something to mark the time.

[u/ejonze]

I don’t care for the DA? ADA? Who first questioned Faith’s neice. Her sugary southern bit is so ingenuine and off putting. And I’m from the area. “Yes, thank you, judge” over and over

[u/no-name_silvertongue → u/ejonze]

yeah it was grating. it was so condescending. i could maybe understand of the witness was a kindergartner, but no one should speak to a fellow adult like that.

[u/ejonze → u/no-name_silvertongue]

Fully agree. Ugh.

[u/ReverseFlow23 → u/ejonze]

There's something about her opening statement that seemed a bit off to me. It's hard to put into words, but her facial expressions felt exaggerated

[u/veggieburger3023 → u/ReverseFlow23]

Very performative.

[u/Mundane_Resident2773]

Who else thinks it's very suspicious Karena Rosario says "I'm not stupid" several different times during questioning with police? This is the same statement left on the food bag near Faiths body.
https://giphy.com/gifs/Aausss8uUBIe3bZ3d2

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/Mundane_Resident2773]

The defendant’s DNA was on the bag

[u/sfr826 → u/Mundane_Resident2773]

During the pre-trial hearings, this theory was addressed. It was ruled that the defense was prohibited from arguing that Karena wrote the note. The judge stated that "I'm not stupid" is a phrase that isn't out of the ordinary, so it is too speculative and remote to be admissible as an argument during the trial, which I agree with.

[u/racingfan123 → u/[deleted]]

They had the unknown DNA and fingerprints all over the scene (within Faith and on the supposed murder weapon) when the crime happened in 2012. But it wasn't until they got a DNA match after arresting Miguel for an unrelated crime in 2021 that they were able to charge him. Apparently, it then took 5 years to get to trial due to the amount of evidence.

[u/l-Am-Nicolas-Cage → u/racingfan123]

Do the fingerprints match Miguel?

[u/Upset_Feature1140 → u/l-Am-Nicolas-Cage]

Yes the palm print on the bottle is a match

[u/l-Am-Nicolas-Cage → u/Upset_Feature1140]

Ohh dam. This is beyond bizarre how he knew her and why he selected her.

[u/Upset_Feature1140 → u/l-Am-Nicolas-Cage]

Sounds like a crime of opportunity.

One roommate leaves, door stays unlocked and he makes his way into house after he sees her leaving the complex? Not sure.

[u/racingfan123 → u/l-Am-Nicolas-Cage]

His family lived in the apartment complex. I don't recall if he ever lived there, but apparently he was there at a barbecue. Supposedly, a family member or 2 will be testifying for the state to prove he was there. During the end of today, they showed that the picnic table/BBQ grill were in sight of Faith & Karena's apartment door.

[u/AphroBKK → u/racingfan123]

Karena was asked about groups of young men who hung out near their apartment, so perhaps that is in implication?

[u/solabird → u/racingfan123]

Let’s also not forget about what Covid did to the courts.

[u/Reasonable-Cup4914]

I thought the 911 operator was excellent in comforting Karena.

[u/solabird → u/Reasonable-Cup4914]

When the operator heard the ages of Karena and Faith, I could hear the breath leave her body.

[u/FiestyGiraffe]

did they play the 911 call?

[u/racingfan123 → u/FiestyGiraffe]

Yes, first witness after lunch.

[u/uknulpoints]

Just occurred to me that handwriting experts apparently said that the note was written with disguise or possibly with the non-dominant hand, and salguero-olivares has been writing with both his left and right hands

[u/BriAlwaysLate → u/uknulpoints]

Yep and the palm print and thumb print are both of his left hand. To me that should help get rid of some doubt anyone may have. He used his left hand most of the first day and switched back and forth second and is now mainly using his right. It’s as if someone reminded him that the prints are from his left hand helping to prove a left handed or ambidextrous person did this. If a right handed person were to beat someone to death with a bottle, they’d hold the bottle in their right hand. Someone held a bottle in their left hand to beat faith to death. And lo and behold that someone wrote a TON with his left hand and that someone’s left handprint and thumbprint matches the ones left on the bottle found next to a bludgeoned to death faith. And that someone’s dna also matches the DNA where she was found AND that someone’s either lived in the same complex and/ or had fam who did.

[u/AdaptToJustice → u/uknulpoints]

I saw him writing with his left hand yesterday, with his right hand today. Hmm. Also his facial reactions, to photos of Faith deceased at the crime scene- Hmm hmm hmmm

[u/No-Personality-7417 → u/AdaptToJustice]

I agree on Miguel’s demeanor and facial reactions….is he really disturbed or is this an act for the camera?

[u/AdaptToJustice → u/No-Personality-7417]

I believe it's him pretending to be shocked by the photos (which he has probably already seen, previewed to him by his attorneys). Definitely putting on an act.

[u/Alternative-Joke-705]

How did they rule out Karena? Her testimony was interesting to me, and then this guy on the stand right now is saying she called, freaking out, dramatic, wanting to be picked up... with blood on her hand?

[u/AdaptToJustice → u/Alternative-Joke-705]

Or could have been vomit maybe. Red like her vomit in trashcan and big red splatters on her side of the bed (I think she had a red slushy at Thrill.)

[u/Gullible-Cream-9043 → u/Alternative-Joke-705]

She was emotional because she was extremely drunk, was having problems with her abusive former boyfriend (who had kicked down the bathroom door), and had recently had an abortion. She had the tiniest speck of something red on her finger that could have been blood or it could have been vomit.

[u/BriAlwaysLate → u/Gullible-Cream-9043]

Or it could have been blood from sitting around the toilet since faith was on her period. Gross i know but period blood can kind of fling all around the toilet and bathroom trashcan in the strangest places. Anyone with a heavy period can attest to this. Tampon removal isn’t always perfect and changing it out in time isn’t always achieved. Blood will leak and fling

[u/ReverseFlow23 → u/Gullible-Cream-9043]

>could have been blood or it could have been vomit

Now that I think about it, that's probably why the prosecutor went out of her way to tell the jury that Karena had been throwing up a "red, slushy, alcoholic beverage".

She wanted to undercut the defense's claim that Karena was seen by her friend with blood on her hands

[u/uknulpoints → u/Alternative-Joke-705]

Male dna was found in Faith's vagina, rectum and shorts. They suspected that whoever did the rape also murdered her, so that ruled her out.

[u/sfr826 → u/uknulpoints]

His DNA was also on the murder weapon.

[u/l-Am-Nicolas-Cage → u/sfr826]

Were any of the fingerprints they found on scene a match to Miguel?

[u/sfr826 → u/l-Am-Nicolas-Cage]

Yes, his palm print and his thumbprint were found on a bottle at the crime scene.

[u/elephantsonparody]

I think the defense missed an opportunity for some doubt with that last witness. Karina was given a different story by Faith as to why she left the library and then took longer than expected to return... Defense could have questioned him about the secretive nature of the relationship to show that she did have secret relationships and could have had a secret and consensual relationship with Miguel. I don't see anything in the pretrial orders that would have prevented that line of questioning. Weird to have no questions for the friend/FWB. I didn't catch his name.

[u/ArugalaStan → u/elephantsonparody]

Karina knew about Faith and that guy. He testified that after Faith died, Karina told him that Faith really loved him.

[u/Icy-Lie640 → u/elephantsonparody]

Wouldn’t they also be able to show Faith and Miguel knew each other via the phone logs? If there’s no record of a text or call between them, the idea of a secret meetup becomes even more unlikely

Also, no offense, but look at him- he’s extremely unattractive, I highly doubt Faith was having a random sex hookup with him of all people.

[u/WhatAreYouGoing2Wear → u/elephantsonparody]

If they had a consensual relationship, why didn’t he tell anyone? Also, for what it’s worth, I agree his private counsel isn’t the sharpest considering they replied something along the lines of “I guess maybe not” when the judge asked them if they had any objection to videos of a witness interviews being played. I’m not impressed with them, but the facts are very bad for their client.

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/elephantsonparody]

I don’t think they’re taking that angle. Possibly because of previous statements from MESO claiming he didn’t know Faith?? My personal opinion is that a consensual relationship still doesn’t explain a huge chunk of the DNA evidence so they’re not even bothering

[u/Upset_Feature1140 → u/elephantsonparody]

The defense wanted to use the theory kf a possible other person (Karina) but the judge shut it down and wouldn’t allow them to use that theory

[u/solabird]

Karina did a great job on the stand. She was extremely credible and honest with her memories and lack of. 14 years waiting for this moment and she did her best friend proud.

[u/Blackberry518 → u/solabird]

Agreed!!

[u/WhatAreYouGoing2Wear → u/solabird]

She did amazing and I hope there is some relief for her from carrying this weight all these years.

[u/MzOpinion8d → u/solabird]

I don’t think she had any involvement, but I can understand why there was so much suspicion.

[u/ModelOfDecorum]

It's somewhat interesting that the defense is trying to discredit the memory of a plastered college student 14 years later, when the whole point is that she didn't see the murder, hear the murder or know the defendant. I get that they don't have a plausible scenario to present, but they'll just go from nothing to nothing. 

[u/DLoIsHere → u/ModelOfDecorum]

It was an ineffective cross. He focused on the stupidest things. Why didn’t you brush your teeth after vomiting? Why didn’t you take things with you when you left the apartment? On and on.

[u/FraggleRock9 → u/DLoIsHere]

Where was the defense going with that line of questioning? I don’t see why it matters if she brushed her teeth, etc.

[u/BriAlwaysLate → u/DLoIsHere]

I agree. And i loved her answer. Brushing my teeth just wasn’t on my mind. I figured I’d probably throw up again. She wanted to say look the guy whom i shared a baby with who i just aborted was ignoring me and i had just seen my abusive ex’s fam member. I got trashed, ok?!

I’ve seen girls flat out passed out in their vomit on the bathroom floors of college bars. They clearly weren’t thinking about ANYTHING. Yuck! (Yes i always tried to find someone these girls “belonged” to to get them off the floor and home.)

With that being said, Karina was likely in and out of “consciousness” and or blacking out while in between vomiting. It’s not like she was sitting in the bathroom fully aware. Anyone who has drank to the point of puking would one this. And this was puking just a few hours after drinking — not the next morning several hours later. When you puke a few hours after drinking, you drank a LOT. It’s not the same as hangover puking in the morning. It’s literally your body trying to prevent alcohol poisoning

[u/Pricklywort → u/DLoIsHere]

I KNOW! I thought, "Your client is accused of MURDER and THAT'S what you're going to ask about after 14 years??"

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/DLoIsHere]

Yeah I’m not sure if he wasn’t sure how to thread the needle with questioning and the judge’s ruling they can’t point to Karena as a suspect… or if their overall strategy is different than most expected? I was very surprised at how that cross went.

[u/Ice_Battle → u/DLoIsHere]

And hasn’t she pretty much admitted she was somewhat blacked out?

[u/DLoIsHere → u/Ice_Battle]

Said she was super drunk. The questions make him seem that he was never 20, was never drunk, didn’t live on his own at an early with friends hanging around, etc.

[u/Reasonable-Cup4914 → u/DLoIsHere]

Karena testified she’d had an abortion in the week before (I can’t remember when exactly she said) so she was already on an emotional roller coaster.

[u/Gullible-Cream-9043 → u/Reasonable-Cup4914]

I think Marisol mentioned it.

[u/uknulpoints]

The defence attorney has finally realised her name is Hedgepeth and not Hedgepath

[u/SwampyWytch13]

Watched day 1. Will definitely be following this trial!

[u/uknulpoints]

What I don't get is if what the defence is saying is true - that the dna collected isn't good enough to make a proper match - then why would the prosecution bother going to trial?

[u/BriAlwaysLate → u/uknulpoints]

You always go to trial no matter what. Everyone is entitled to one in the US

[u/Thisismethisisalsome → u/BriAlwaysLate]

You can always go to trial if youre charged with a crime.

I think the commenter is saying, (in their hypothetical: if x then) why did they charge him with the crime?

[u/uknulpoints → u/Thisismethisisalsome]

Yes that is what I was saying, not sure why some people thought I was saying the opposite lol

[u/AdaptToJustice → u/uknulpoints]

I have seen many defense attorneys try to discredit dna, but without success, unless it was only a miniscule amount and questionable source.

[u/uknulpoints → u/AdaptToJustice]

Yeah that seemed to be what they were getting at in their opening statement. I'm keeping an open mind until I hear what they have to say. Debunking the dna is their only hope.

[u/AdaptToJustice → u/uknulpoints]

I hope Defense is not going to fool jurors. I am waiting to see the dna evidence too, but hope they won't help someone guilty of such an evil crime, be set free to do it again.

[u/Pricklywort → u/AdaptToJustice]

This must be your first day on earth. A defense attorney does not have to believe in the client's innocence - their goal is to get the client off the hook or to at least provide a competent defense if the evidence is overwhelming.

[u/Illuminating2086 → u/uknulpoints]

It would be a terrible, scary world if you were automatically jailed based on DNA findings. DNA can be planted, DNA can be there for other reasons (I.e. if he was the server that gave whatever takeout food was on the white bag), DNA can be mis-filed in the database or accidentally mis-classified, etc

for the record I think he’s guilty in this case

[u/PauI_MuadDib → u/Illuminating2086]

Yvonne Woods

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/uknulpoints]

The defense has to attack the DNA. That’s the only possible argument they can make. We’ll see how much is actually true

[u/ReverseFlow23]

Karena's getting cross-examined today, this should be good

[u/DLoIsHere → u/ReverseFlow23]

It wasn’t.

[u/ReverseFlow23 → u/DLoIsHere]

Yeah with all the crying she did on direct, I thought she'd fall apart on cross. Defense left a lot to be desired with that one...

[u/AdventurousAd606 → u/ReverseFlow23]

I’m catching up. Her demeanor changed a lot with cross. My close captioning doesn’t say ‘snort’ every time she talks. No tears.

[u/racingfan123]

This case reminds me of the Edrick Faust one. The defendant is a stranger no one suspected until investigators got a DNA hit. However, it turns out they lived nearby. You have potential other culprits (Faith's roommate vs. Tara's boyfriend). And you have a defendant who claims the DNA is the result of consensual relations. Although it seems like the physical evidence is much stronger in this case.

[u/JonBoyBonJovi → u/racingfan123]

I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure "Defense Strategy #1" is "It was consensual activity."

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/JonBoyBonJovi]

Which will be interesting if the prosecution brings up his statements post arrest that he did not know the victim.

[u/racingfan123 → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

Yep, that's what happened in Faust too.

[u/uknulpoints → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

Do you have a source for that? He's toast if so.

[u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1 → u/uknulpoints]

News & Observer references court documents

WRAL interview with his mother where she says she’s spoken with him (since arrest) and that he did not know Faith

[u/AdaptToJustice → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

I had heard on some report, his mother's co-workers lived (& had cookout that night) at apartments across from where Faith lived with Karena. So very likely he would know some of those co- workers that lived across from Faith too. I believe he didn't "know" Faith-- but I'll bet he watched her and saw Karena leave, then went after his victim.

Edit: corrected name

[u/uknulpoints → u/treegrowsinbrooklyn1]

Thanks, that's very interesting indeed