A Maryland jury delivered a swift verdict Monday, finding Victor Martinez-Hernandez guilty in the brutal rape and murder of Rachel Morin, a mother of five whose death shocked the nation last summer.
After less than 50 minutes of deliberation, the jury convicted Martinez-Hernandez, 24, of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual assault, and kidnapping.
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Morin, 37, was reported missing on August 5, 2023, after she failed to return from a walk on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air. Her body was discovered near the trail the following day.
The investigation quickly became a high-profile case. According to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, DNA recovered from the crime scene linked the killing to Martinez-Hernandez. That same DNA profile had previously connected him to a violent home invasion and assault of a mother and her 9-year-old daughter in Los Angeles, California.
Following a nationwide manhunt, Martinez-Hernandez was apprehended in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 2024. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges related to Morin’s death.
Prosecutors presented compelling evidence during the trial. A Maryland State Police DNA analyst testified Friday that Martinez-Hernandez’s DNA was the sole male profile found on Morin’s body and other evidence from the scene. Earlier testimony placed Martinez-Hernandez near the crime scene in Bel Air for months before and after the murder, with one witness testifying they saw the defendant hiding in the woods with a shovel.
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“The incredible efforts of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office should not go unmentioned,” stated Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey following the verdict. Healey confirmed the state will seek the maximum possible sentence, potentially exceeding life without parole, and noted she was unsurprised by the jury’s quick decision given the evidence.
Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler reiterated concerns raised previously about the suspect’s background. “The failure here is the immigration system that allowed this person to enter our country illegally, and remain in our country and commit crimes in Los Angeles and then here in Harford County,” Gahler remarked.
Authorities stated Martinez-Hernandez is also a suspect in a woman’s murder in his native El Salvador in January 2023 and that he entered the United States unlawfully in February 2023.
Sentencing for Martinez-Hernandez will follow the conviction.
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