-------------------------------------------------------------------------

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).]
-----------------------------------------------------

Saturday, December 30, 2017

1-time Crime or a Pattern?


I’ll repost here something I already put on the Websleuths website; just a loose idea in case anyone has the time/ability to pursue it:

Police have painted this case as a personal crime against Faith Hedgepeth, BUT what if instead (as I think possible) it is the work of a repeat criminal (rapist or murderer) who happened to cross paths with Faith or Karena that night or week and learned of their location? 

For me it's at least a bit difficult to imagine that whoever perpetrated such a horrendous act did it as a one-time-only crime; it is easier to imagine that they have attacked young females at other times before or since Faith’s murder. Which makes one wonder if what we know of Faith’s murder represents an M.O. for this individual: i.e., they attack young women (perhaps coeds, perhaps in college towns?) in early daybreak hours (say perhaps between 5 and 7 am.) in their own apartments. Do they have anger issues and beat their victims with whatever is handy (rather than bringing a weapon). Is Friday morning of any particular significance? Do they scrawl out notes at the crime scene? And are we specifically looking for a Hispanic individual?

So... I doubt that most of us have the savvy or access to do the sort of search needed. But might someone out there be able to search a crime database or even the internet to look specifically for other attempted rapes and/or murders in the last 5 years that fit the above description?… perhaps starting in N.C. and neighboring states and working outward from there. Unless you have access to a very user-efficient, suitable database it would likely be a daunting, time-consuming task, but perhaps someone wants to take a crack at it… Perhaps there's a "trail" out there just waiting to be discovered.

Finally, even if one accepts the notion that the attacker knew and specifically-targeted Faith, are we to believe that in the 5+ years since he has never exhibited highly-violent, angry behavior toward any other female? Some female out there has experienced his rage, perhaps in early morning hours in an apartment bedroom... some female out there knows something, or has a hunch... Call Chapel Hill Police: 919-614-6363
or CrimeStoppers: 919-942-7515 (can call anonymously) ...yield to your conscience.




Thursday, December 7, 2017

In Defense of Karena...


Probably ~70% of the emails I get from people with a strong opinion about this case point to Karena Rosario as a prime suspect, heavily involved in the crime, whether or not she was present at the murder scene. I’ve never been very inclined toward that viewpoint and now a reader (who goes elsewhere as “CADwrest”) has sent me a lengthy piece in defense of Karena against the aspersions aimed her way. You can read it HERE (in addition to being a defense of K.R., it is also worth reading as a decent summary of several major aspects of the crime).

...I'll also note that Tom Gasparoli has a new post up HERE but it's mostly same ol' same ol' stuff partly in podcast form. He promises to post a second half to the podcast on Dec. 15, so check back (to his site) then as well.