Rachel Morin's children claim in lawsuit they haven't received donated money since murder
The children of Rachel Morin, the Maryland woman murdered along a popular walking trail in 2023, have filed a lawsuit against their grandmother and aunt for not sharing donated money and gifts.
According to the lawsuit, a GoFundMe account was started after Morin's death to raise money for funeral expenses. The lawsuit also says the remaining funds would be given to her children. Instead, all of the money was in an account controlled by Patty Morin and Rebekah Morin -- Rachel Morin's mother and sister.
Nearly $55,000 was donated through an online fundraising campaign, which was intended for Morin's children, according to the lawsuit.
However, the lawsuit contends that the five children, who range in age from 9 to 19, have not received any of that money or any other money collected.
Rachel Morin murder case
Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an El Salvador native, was convicted of the killing of Morin, who was found dead on August 6, 2023, about 150 feet off the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County.
According to police, Morin left for a jog on the trail and never returned. She was found the next day, raped and murdered.
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following a 10-month nationwide manhunt.
Law enforcement said he illegally entered the United States in early 2023 to flee from an arrest warrant for murder. DNA evidence at Morin's crime scene was also tied to a break-in and assault of a child and her mother in Los Angeles.
Martinez-Hernandez will face sentencing for Morin's murder in August, according to court records.
Morin's murder ignites U.S. immigration conversation
Morin's murder case made national headlines and sparked conversations about illegal immigration in the United States.
As the investigation into Martinez-Hernandez unfolded, law enforcement determined that he had entered the U.S. illegally after he was accused of murdering a woman in El Salvador.
Martinez-Hernandez had been apprehended by Border Patrol for entering the country illegally on three occasions in 2023. He was investigated and expelled when no criminal history was found.
In 2024, Morin's brother, Michael Morin, spoke at the Republican National Committee (RNC) Convention, saying his sister's death was preventable.
Following the guilty verdict, Rachel Morin's mother, Patty Morin, joined a White House briefing to talk about her daughter's murder.
She questioned the motive of Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen after he traveled to El Salvador to check on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was mistakenly deported from Maryland to a prison in his native country.
