Miguel Salguero Olivares files appeal following first-degree murder conviction in Faith Hedgepeth case

The legal challenge initiates an appellate review of a high-profile first-degree murder conviction that previously resulted in a life sentence without parole.

• •Miguel Salguero Olivares filed a notice of appeal on Friday according to a court electronic docket.
• •Salguero Olivares was previously sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
• •He was convicted on Oct. 23 of first-degree murder, rape, sexual offense, and burglary.
• •Jurors deliberated for six hours over two days before reaching a verdict.
• •Prosecutors presented DNA evidence during the trial that they compared to leaving evidence 'like confetti.'
• •Salguero Olivares did not testify during his trial, and his defense called no witnesses.
• •Nearly two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution, including law enforcement, a DNA expert, and friends of the victim.
• •Faith Hedgepeth was a 19-year-old UNC-Chapel Hill sophomore beaten to death in her off-campus apartment in September 2012.
• •Salguero Olivares was arrested nine years after the crime following a traffic stop for driving while impaired that provided a DNA sample.
• •Officials held a post-conviction news conference at the Durham County Courthouse featuring the District Attorney, prosecution team, Chapel Hill police chief, and family members.