Faith Hedgepeth case featured on ABC's 20/20: how to watch
The Faith Hedgepeth case featured on ABC's "20/20" in the episode "Justice for Faith," airing Friday, Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. The special revisits the 2012 Chapel Hill murder after Miguel Salguero Olivares was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Key Takeaways
- ABC's "20/20" episode "Justice for Faith" premieres Friday, Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. ET.
- Viewers can watch on ABC or stream later on Disney+ and Hulu.
- Miguel Salguero Olivares was found guilty on Oct. 23 of first-degree murder and first-degree rape and sentenced to life in prison.
- The episode promises new details plus exclusive interviews with jurors, investigators, and Hedgepeth's closest friends.
When and where can you watch the Faith Hedgepeth episode?
According to The News & Observer, "Justice for Faith" is set to premiere at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. In a Facebook post dated Wednesday, Oct. 28, "20/20" said audiences can watch on ABC or stream the episode on Disney+ or Hulu.
The network described the story as a true-crime case that stunned the nation: a college sophomore brutally murdered in her own apartment. The show said the report arrives with the verdict just in and, for the first time, new details alongside exclusive interviews.
A trailer also features Virginia Bridges, a News & Observer reporter who has spent years covering the case. For more coverage across similar investigations, browse our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries hub.
What happened in the Faith Hedgepeth murder case?
Faith Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old UNC-Chapel Hill sophomore and member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribal community, was found dead in her off-campus Chapel Hill apartment on Sept. 7, 2012. She had dreamed of becoming a pediatrician. The case remained unsolved until Sept. 16, 2021, when Chapel Hill police made an arrest.
DNA evidence led authorities to Miguel Salguero Olivares. Prosecutors argued he sexually assaulted Hedgepeth and used a rum bottle to beat her to death, The News & Observer previously reported. The murder trial began Sept. 28, 2026, in Durham County.
On Oct. 23, Salguero Olivares was found guilty of multiple crimes, including first-degree murder and first-degree rape, and was sentenced to life in prison. "We've been waiting a long time," Connie Hedgepeth, Faith's mother, said after the verdict.
What do jurors say about the verdict ABC will revisit?
Jurors who convicted Salguero Olivares later described emotional deliberations. Some entered the room with doubts about whether prosecutors had met their burden, citing concerns such as a doorknob that was not swabbed and misplaced swabs. Others said extensive forensic evidence, including DNA and fingerprint testimony, proved decisive.
The defense rested without calling witnesses or presenting evidence, a move that surprised several jurors. After graphic crime-scene evidence and tense but respectful talks, jurors said they embraced before speaking with Hedgepeth's family, closing a case nearly 14 years after her death.
"20/20" is positioning those juror interviews, along with investigators and Hedgepeth's closest friends, as central to Friday's national broadcast. The episode gives U.S. and U.K. audiences a fuller look at how a long-cold North Carolina case reached a courtroom and a life sentence.