Judge Keith Gregory sentenced the 33-year-old to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus consecutive terms for the rape, sexual offense and burglary convictions.

The verdict came after nearly two weeks of testimony and roughly six hours of deliberation, closing a case that sat unsolved for nine years before his 2021 arrest.

The case's surprise is how long justice took. Hedgepeth was beaten to death in her off-campus apartment in 2012, yet no arrest followed for nine years.

According to ABC11, Salguero Olivares was finally identified after a drunk-driving stop led him to provide a DNA sample prosecutors say matched evidence from the crime scene.

WRAL reports the DNA was gathered during the September 2021 stop, one month before his arrest, and the State Bureau of Investigation says the case took 'nine years and nine days to solve' — never treated as a cold case because investigators kept pursuing leads.

The prosecution's case was built almost entirely on forensics. Experts testified his fingerprints and palm print appeared on a wine bottle at the scene, and his DNA was found on Hedgepeth's body, on a note written on a fast-food bag, and on the blood-covered rum bottle identified as the weapon.

According to the Associated Press reporting carried by ABC13, forensic scientist Erin Ermish testified DNA from Hedgepeth's body was 170 septillion times more likely to include Salguero Olivares than an unknown person — a figure larger than NASA's estimate of stars in the universe.

In a striking trial strategy, Salguero Olivares did not testify and his attorneys rested without calling a single witness or presenting any evidence, choosing instead to attack the investigation in closing arguments.

The defense accused investigators of 'tunnel vision,' argued a consensual encounter days earlier could explain the DNA, and pointed to missing evidence and untested items, per the News & Observer.

Special prosecutor Lisa Coltrane dismissed that as 'noise,' telling jurors investigators 'still got the guy because he left his DNA like confetti all over that room,' according to ABC13.

One of the verdict's quietest casualties was finally cleared: Hedgepeth's roommate Karena Rosario, the last person besides her killer to see her alive, had faced years of public suspicion.

Defense attorneys highlighted a friend's account of blood on Rosario's finger and inconsistencies in her recollections.

But at a post-verdict press conference, Assistant DA Angela Garcia-Lamarca said the verdict 'vindicated' Rosario and cleared the cloud hanging over her, and District Attorney Satana Deberry said her office '100% trusted Karena Rosario,' per the News & Observer — noting social media made people forget Rosario was also 19.

Salguero Olivares plans to appeal. According to the News & Observer, defense attorney James Rainsford notified the court of the appeal after sentencing, and WRAL confirms the convictions and sentences are being challenged.

Hedgepeth, a Haliwa-Saponi tribal member and biology major, was remembered by her parents, who both spoke of forgiveness. 'We've been waiting for a long time, over 14 years,' her mother Connie said, adding she has peace.

The SBI says the case now trains new agents at its academy, and Durham DA Satana Deberry had declined to seek the death penalty from the start.