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19-year-old University of North Carolina student Faith Hedgepeth was brutally murdered on the morning of Sept. 7, 2012, in an off-campus apt. To this day, despite LOTS of evidence and suspicions, the case remains unsolved. It is my hope that a collaborative Web effort ("hivemind") may accomplish what law enforcement has been unable to do in two long years… solve this vicious, senseless crime. In recent years Web collaboration of 100s, has been the tool allowing many decades-old problems in science to be solved in a matter of months; it can work for solving crimes as well. On behalf of Faith, her friends, and loved ones... let's DO IT!

Here are links to several of the podcasts/sites that have covered the case in recent years (and of course you can google for many more news reports) -- I would caution though that virtually all podcasts and extended treatments of this case (including this blog!) have some facts wrong, and are highly speculative:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np8a4FoGE20 [20/20 broadcast]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz8mBob9aPs ["Trace Evidence"]


https://truenoirstories.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/faith-hedgepeth/


http://twistedpodcast.libsyn.com/episode-50-the-murder-of-faith-hedgepeth


https://crimewatchdaily.com/2016/02/16/crime-watch-daily-investigates-the-murder-of-faith-hedgepeth/


https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/breaking-homicide/full-episodes/who-killed-faith (2018 episode)


ALSO, because of the heavy suspicion usually directed toward Karena Rosario, I'll leave a permanent link to this longish "Defense" of Karena that has been offered by a reader:

https://faithhedgepeth.blogspot.com/p/on-september-7-2012-faith-danielle.html


==> [Finally, I have moved the long introductory material to the bottom so newest posts will now appear closer to the top (but you can click as needed if you want to review, or read for the first time, the basics about this crime).]
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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Sad Sad Anniversary


Long time, no news from here... and the silence is itself sad.
With the 3-year anniversary of Faith's brutal murder approaching, "Gaspo" has written a new column for the local newspaper:
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/dn-opinion/article31185011.html

Nothing really new to report though, but Gaspo recommends that transcripts of various police interviews ought finally be released to possibly move the case along. I certainly agree... and am equally certain that the powers-that-be will never do that; but maybe at the 3-year mark they'll loosen up on some bit of evidence and throw the public another bone to chew on... do they even comprehend how incompetent they appear in the public eyes?

In the last year I've followed some other brutal crimes on the Web, notably the Jessica Chambers murder-by-fire in Mississippi -- also, incredibly, unsolved after almost 9 months (some rumors at the moment that it may be reaching conclusion, but for now just rumors).  In looking over a lot of horrible cases what becomes clear is that, unlike the fairy-tale world we were all raised in, crime DOES often pay in America (pay in the sense of getting away with it)... it especially pays in smaller metropolitan areas where law enforcement is of limited competency... where, like all public agencies these days, they are understaffed, under-trained, under-equipped, and underfunded for major investigations -- they have plenty of time for speed traps and traffic stops that bring in the dollars $$$, but not so much time for murder investigations that bring in little or no money, and cost plenty. Police Departments, to a greater extent than admitted, have to be run like businesses, more than just public services. Tens of thousands of cases across the country go unsolved.

Personally, I still believe 2 or more individuals were likely responsible for Faith's death (probably long gone from our area, and wreaking havoc elsewhere), and I still believe they will eventually be caught, but whether it will be next year, 5 years from now, or 10 years from now, I'm no longer willing to hazard a guess.
The 3-year anniversary is around the corner (Sept. 7); we'll see if that shakes anything further loose... or, if ineptness continues to reign.