An El Salvador native and illegal immigrant who brutally murdered a Maryland mother of five will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Harford County Circuit Judge Yolanda Curtin handed 24-year-old Victor Martinez-Hernandez a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the rape and murder of 37-year-old Rachel Morin. After a 9-day trial, Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty and convicted by a jury of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense, and kidnapping.
"Arguably, Harford County has never seen a case or a defendant more deserving of every single day of the maximum sentences this court imposed," said Maryland State Prosecutor Alison Healey, according to BBC.
On Aug. 6, 2023, Maryland authorities responded to a hiking trail in Bel Air where they found Morin’s body in a drainage culvert. An autopsy report showed the victim was assaulted, bludgeoned with rocks, and then strangled to death. According to prosecutors, DNA evidence taken from Morin’s body was linked to a home invasion in California, where Martinez-Hernandez was identified as the perpetrator who assaulted a 9-year-old girl and her mother.
At the time of the fatal incident, the defendant was also a suspect in the murder of a woman in El Salvador in 2023. Hence, a manhunt soon ensued that led authorities to the capture of Martinez-Hernandez 10 months later in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Family members, including Morin’s mom, gave victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing.
“This sentencing marks a critical moment for the Morin family as they confront the man responsible for Rachel’s horrific death. While no sentence can restore what was taken, the family’s voice and their pain deserve to be heard—and this is their moment to speak directly to the court and the world,” said the family’s attorney Randolph Rice, reported WBAL.
The case caught the attention of the nation after U.S. President Donald Trump supported the Morin family, as the White House proposed a border security crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Curtin sentenced Martinez-Hernandez to an additional 40 years in prison for the sexual offense and kidnapping charges.
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