Questions raised about publicity of Rachel Morin's murder before trial in Maryland

Lawyers argued over how to best protect potential jurors from publicity surrounding the high-profile trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, the undocumented migrant accused of killing Rachel Morin, a mother of five, on a hiking trail in Harford County in 2023.

Judge Yolanda Curtain plans to call unusually large panels of more than 120 potential jurors every day over the next three days, starting on Tuesday. 

The case gained national attention, especially after Rachel's brother, Michael Morin, spoke at the Republican National Committee (RNC) Convention in 2024. 

"Rachel, a joyful, accomplished athlete and mother of five, was raped and murdered by a suspected illegal immigrant," Michael said. "My sister's death was preventable."

It also ramped up discussions about immigration as Morin's accused killer, Martinez-Hernandez, is an El Salvador native.

Jury selection in this case is expected to last until Friday, when the jury will be seated and opening statements are set to begin. The trial is expected to last until April 16. 

Questions raised about publicity 

Due to the high-profile nature of the case, several questions were raised about how to handle the trial during the pre-trial conference on Monday. 

Martinez-Hernandez was brought to the Harford County court in shackles and a striped detention center jumpsuit. 

"This is probably the most high-profile case in this country's history," his attorney said. 

The defense team said the case was mentioned in an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. 

The executive order, issued in mid-March, aimed to address "rampant fraud and meritless claims" in the U.S. immigration system. 

"...this fraud in turn undermines the integrity of our immigration laws and the legal profession more broadly – to say nothing of the undeniable, tragic consequences of the resulting mass illegal immigration, whether in terms of heinous crimes against innocent victims like Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, or Rachel Morin…" part of the executive order reads. 

Since taking office, Mr. Trump has cracked down on illegal immigration in the U.S., rolling back several Biden-era policies and ordering increases in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and deportations.

During the pre-trial hearing on Monday, the defense team said they are concerned about potential jurors hearing about other crimes Martinez-Hernandez is accused of and his immigration status. They further requested that a lengthy description of the crime be included in the jury selection process.

The judge disagreed, saying a basic description would be enough. 

The judge also denied the defense's motion to sequester the jury during the trial and denied a motion that would have required each juror to fill out a questionnaire. 

During the pre-trial hearing, the judge said she would wait until later to decide if the jurors should be asked if they watched the RNC convention.

In January, Martinez-Hernandez's attorneys requested that his trial be moved out of Harford County, arguing that he would not be able to receive a fair trial because an impartial jury could not be seated.

What happened to Rachel Morin? 

Morin was a mother of five who left her home in 2023 for a run on the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County. She was reported missing on August 5, 2023, and her body was found near the trail the following day. 

Martinez-Hernandez was arrested in Oklahoma in June 2023 following a nationwide manhunt. He is facing several charges in connection with the murder of the Morin. 

Law enforcement officials believe Martinez-Hernandez hid in a drainage hole and attacked Morin as she was walking. 

Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said Martinez-Hernandez crossed the border into the U.S. in February 2023 as he was being sought for the murder of a woman in El Salvador. 

He was taken into custody by border patrol agents for illegally entering the U.S. three separate times in 2023. 

According to investigators, Martinez-Hernandez was also accused of assaulting a child and her mother at a home in California in March 2023. 

Sheriff Gahler said he had connections to the Washington, D.C. area and has ties to known gangs. 

Extra security 

Security is tight with streets closed off surrounding the entrances to the Harford County Circuit Courthouse.

One of Martinez-Hernandez's defense attorneys, Marcus Jenkins, called this "probably the most high-profile case in this county's history."

Martinez-Hernandez was arrested at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2024, and faces life in prison if convicted of raping and murdering Morin went for a run on the Ma and Pa trail in August 2023.

Seating a jury, a mother's pain

Patty Morin sat in the courtroom on Monday, two rows behind her daughter's alleged killer.

"She said she is very sad today," attorney Randolph Rice told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "This is sort of tough because you're sitting in a courtroom about to see some really, really tough, tough images of your daughter and hear some bad facts about what happened to your daughter," Rice said. "She said something today that God was with her. She's got the understanding that everything happens for a reason, and there's a reason for this, and she just has to accept this is how this is going to work out and play out."

Rice represents Patty Morin, who has been outspoken. She appeared with Donald Trump on the campaign trail to demand harsher immigration enforcement and testified before Congress. 

"I was told that she was beaten so badly that her body was blanketed with bruises, that she was strangled, that she was raped and that she was stuffed into a drain pipe," Patty Morin told lawmakers last December.

Rice told WJZ he expects there to be no issues finding fair and impartial jurors.

"There are people all the time I run into, and I ask, 'Have you ever heard of the Rachel Morin case?' And they say they haven't, so I have no doubt they're going to be able to find 12 jurors who are going to be fair and impartial and be able to hear the facts of this case," Rice said.

Suspect in court

Martinez-Hernandez was shackled while entering court. He wore a pinstriped Harford County Detention Center jumpsuit and had a fresh haircut. 

Two interpreters translated the proceedings for him, and he said nothing on the record to the judge.