North Carolina taxpayers are set to pick up a travel tab of more than $16,000 so two out-of-state witnesses can testify in the long-running case over the 2012 killing of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth. Court filings identify Hedgepeth’s former roommate, Karena Rosario, and former UNC student Jordan McCrary as the defense’s out-of-state witnesses, adding a fresh procedural twist to a case that has been grinding through the courts for more than a decade.
According to court documents reviewed by WRAL, the filings break down the state-covered expenses as $706.15 for Rosario’s travel and $4,125.25 for McCrary’s travel, plus $5,724 each for lodging and meals and a $200 attendance fee for each witness. In all, the combined payments come to $16,499.40. The same paperwork asks that both witnesses be available in person for roughly a month during the trial window so attorneys can question them live in front of the jury.
Trial Date And Charges
Prosecutors have charged Miguel Salguero-Olivares with first-degree murder, burglary, rape and a sexual offense, with a jury trial currently scheduled for late September 2026, according to ABC11. Salguero-Olivares was arrested in 2021 after investigators linked DNA from the 2012 crime scene to a suspect. Rosario has not been charged in the case and is listed in court filings as an out-of-state witness called by the defense.
What The Defense Alleges
Defense motions obtained and reported by WRAL argue that Rosario’s account of the night of the killing changed several times and point to a photo showing blood on a bathroom doorframe where Rosario told investigators she had been sitting. The filings also claim the final text sent from Hedgepeth’s phone was written in a style that looked more like Rosario’s usual messages, and they note a white bag found near Hedgepeth’s body that read, "I'm not stupid (expletive) jealous." The defense says testimony from Rosario and McCrary is central to an alternate timeline it plans to put before jurors at trial.
What’s Next
With motions and discovery still in motion, both sides are expected to keep pressing the court on logistics and testing details before a jury is ever selected. Local outlets report they will continue tracking docket entries and hearings as the case inches toward trial. For now, the state’s agreement to cover travel and lodging costs clears the way for the defense’s requested out-of-state witnesses to appear in person, according to the published filings and local reporting.
