Police make arrest 9 years after Faith Hedgepeth's murder

Nearly a decade after University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth was found beaten to death in her off-campus apartment, a man was charged with first-degree murder in the case on Thursday.
Posted 9/16/2021, 9:11:00 PM Updated 9/16/2021, 11:52:49 PM

ADAM OWENS HAS UNCOVERED MORE.

>>> NEW DETAILS AT THIS HOUR

ABOUT A MAN NOW FACING CHARGES

IN THE MURDER OF AN UNC

STUDENT.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> RIGHT NOW LIVE TEAM COVERAGE

ON WHAT LED TO THE ARREST AND

DETAILS ABOUT THE MAN IN

CUSTODY.

WHAT HIS MOTHER JUST HAD TO SAY

ABOUT THE ARREST.

WE BEGIN WITH ERIC MILLER WITH

THAT PART OF OUR COVERAGE.

>> Reporter: BEHIND ME ARE THE

CROSSINGS AT 501 APARTMENTS IN

DURHAM.

ACCORDING TO COURT DOCUMENTS IT

WAS HERE THAT MIGUEL ENRIQUE

OLIVARES WAS ARRESTED THIS

MORNING.

WE WENT TO THE APARTMENT AND

KNOCKED ON THE DOOR.

HIS MOTHER ANSWERED.

SHE SAID THAT HE LIVED WITH HER

AND SHE WAS HERE AS HE WAS

BEING ARRESTED.

SHE SAYS HE WASN'T A STUDENT AT

UNC, DIDN'T REALLY HAVE FRIENDS

WHO ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY AND

DOESN'T KNOW HOW HE COULD BE

CONNECTED TO THE CASE.

>> HE SAYS HE DOESN'T KNOW THE

GIRL, HAS NEVER SEEN THE GIRL.

>> Reporter: NOW WE ARE WORKING

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MIGUEL

ENRIQUE OLIVARES.

WE KNOW THAT HE DIDN'T LIVE AT

THESE APARTMENTS OF THE TIME OF

THE MURDER NINE YEARS AGO.

WILL BRING YOU MORE AS WE HAVE

IT.

>>> WRAL WAS AT TODAY'S NEWS

CONFERENCE WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED

THE ARREST AND CONTINUES LIVE

TEAM COVERAGE WITH THE RELEASE

THEM THE MEMBERS ARE FEELING.

>> Reporter: THE FAMILY OF

FAITH HEDGEPETH WAS CERTAINLY

EMOTIONAL OUTSIDE OF CHAPEL

HILL TOWN HALL TODAY, BUT ALSO

EXTREMELY THANKFUL FOR THE

INVESTIGATORS WHO NEVER GAVE UP.

NINE YEARS AND NINE DAYS IS HOW

LONG IT HAS BEEN SINCE FAITH

HEDGEPETH WAS MURDERED.

IT IS VERY CLEAR AFTER TODAY'S

BRIEFING THAT THE DNA EVIDENCE

IS WHAT PUT THE SUSPECT BEHIND

BARS.

>> WHEN I GOT THE NEWS THIS

MORNING, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING

BUT CRY.

I THANK GOD AND PRAISE GOD.

>> Reporter: SHE'S WAITED NINE

LONG YEARS FOR THE CALL SHE GOT

THIS MORNING.

>> WE PROMISED YOU THAT WE

WOULD ONE DAY MAKE AN ARREST.

TODAY WE CAN REPORT THAT WE ARE

MAKING GOOD ON THAT PROMISE.

>> Reporter: POLICE ANNOUNCING

THE ARREST OF 28-YEAR-OLD

MIGUEL ENRIQUE OLIVARES, NOW

CHARGED WITH MURDER IN THE

DEATH OF FAITH HEDGEPETH.

A 19-YEAR-OLD UNC SOPHOMORE WAS

BRUTALLY BEATEN TO DEATH AND

FOUND PARTIALLY CLOSED IN HER

OFF-CAMPUS APARTMENT IN

SEPTEMBER 2012.

>> CAN YOU ELABORATE MORE ON

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE

SUSPECT AND FAITH?

>> WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE AS

TIME GOES ON.

>> Reporter: INVESTIGATORS SAY

MIGUEL ENRIQUE OLIVARES WAS NOT

A SUSPECT FROM THE VERY

BEGINNING, WHAT DOES RESEMBLE

A SKETCH RELEASED IN 2016.

INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY FOUND

SEMEN ON FAITH HEDGEPETH, BUT

ARE STILL NOT SAYING IF SHE WAS

SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BEFORE SHE

WAS KILLED.

THEY ARE CONFIRMING THAT THE

SUSPECTS DNA MATCHES DNA FOUND

AT THE CRIME SCENE.

>> I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR THIS

DAY THAT HE ALLOW ME TO SEE.

>> Reporter: THE FAMILY,

INVESTIGATORS, AND THE CHAPEL

HILL COMMUNITY NEVER LOST HOPE.

>> WILL NOT FORGET HER LOVELY

SMILE, HER WARMNESS.

WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT HER

LIFE MATTER.

>> Reporter: IN THE WORDS OF

THE STATE BUREAU OF

INVESTIGATION TODAY THIS CASE

IS FAR FROM OVER. INVESTIGATORS

NOT RULING OUT THE POSSIBILITY

OF ADDITIONAL ARRESTS.