Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.newsobserver.com
One of the lead investigators in Faith Hedgepeth’s killing told jurors Monday that a handwritten note he previously attributed to the man charged with her murder and rape was actually an internet meme — not something the defendant had written.
State Bureau of Investigation agent Justin Heinrich acknowledged the mistake after showing jurors the image Friday as part of the prosecution’s effort to connect Miguel Salguero Olivares to a note found on Hedgepeth’s bed after her killing in September 2012.
The admission came as defense attorneys continued to challenge the investigation into the UNC-Chapel Hill student’s death, raising questions about how investigators collected, analyzed and interpreted evidence used to build the case against Salguero Olivares, who has pleaded not guilty.
Heinrich testified that he found the image, which showed foreign currency alongside a handwritten note, while reviewing the contents of Salguero Olivares’ laptop. He was searching for handwriting samples to compare with a message written on a white fast-food bag found on Hedgepeth’s bed.
That message on the bag read: “I AM NOT STUPID B- – – – JEALOUS”
Prosecutors contend that DNA evidence links Salguero Olivares to Hedgepeth’s body and several items found in her apartment, including a rum bottle they say was used to beat her to death, a wine bottle, boxer shorts and the note.
Heinrich said he noticed similarities between the handwriting on the two notes, including the use of capital letters and the letter size.
But over the weekend, he learned that the image from the laptop had been circulated widely online and was not an original note written by Salguero Olivares.
“It does not appear that the defendant was the author of that,” Heinrich testified Monday.
“All I knew is that in reviewing the content of the computer, that picture containing that note was there, and that contributed to the decision to introduce it,” he said.
Heinrich said he was glad to have the opportunity to correct his earlier testimony.
During questioning, Heinrich acknowledged that he had not taken steps to determine whether the image was a meme or had previously circulated online. He said SBI policy restricts investigators from conducting internet image searches involving sensitive evidence.
Another handwriting sample introduced
Heinrich also introduced a different handwriting sample Monday, this one taken from a recorded video call, while Salguero Olivares was in jail, between him and a friend, Katie Ellen, who attended UNC-CH in 2013.
During the call on Valentine’s Day 2023, Salguero Olivares held up a handwritten message when the two had trouble hearing each other.
“Give me your number. I’ll call you,” the note said.
Heinrich testified that he discovered the video a few months ago but had not attempted to interview Ellen, who has since died, or her mother.
Defense questions investigation
The testimony added to a series of concerns defense attorneys have raised about the investigation and the conclusions investigators have drawn from the evidence.
Salguero Olivares is charged with first-degree murder, rape and burglary in the death of Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old UNC-Chapel Hill student found beaten to death in her apartment on Sept. 7, 2012.
Prosecutors contend he entered the apartment after Hedgepeth’s roommate, Karena Rosario, left early that morning. They say he beat Hedgepeth with a glass rum bottle, sexually assaulted her and killed her.
Investigators arrested Salguero Olivares in September 2021, nine years after Hedgepeth’s death, after they said DNA evidence led them to identify him as a suspect.
He has pleaded not guilty and has told police and others that he did not know Hedgepeth, according to court documents and statements in court.
Throughout the trial, defense attorney James Rainsford has challenged the reliability of the evidence and investigation linking his client to the killing.
The defense has questioned the interpretation of DNA evidence, including mixed DNA profiles found on items collected from the apartment.
They have raised questions about evidence collected from the apartment’s bathroom, where Rosario said she spent part of the morning before leaving. A crime scene technician testified that she collected a sample from a reddish stain that had tested positive for blood near the bathroom doorframe but could no longer locate it and had not documented it in her report.
Defense attorneys have also questioned whether Rosario was still in the apartment when Hedgepeth was killed, pointing to testimony that Rosario had blood on one of her fingers when she left the apartment.
Virginia Bridges
The News & Observer
Virginia Bridges covers what is and isn’t working in North Carolina’s criminal justice system for The News & Observer’s and The Charlotte Observer’s investigation team. She has worked for newspapers for more than 20 years. The N.C. State Bar Association awarded her the Media & Law Award for Best Series in 2018, 2020 and 2025.
