Trial for accused killer of Rachel Morin to begin in Maryland
Pretrial will begin Monday in the high-profile case against Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, who is accused of attacking, raping, and murdering Rachel Morin, a Harford County mother of five, on Aug. 5, 2023.
Attorney Randolph Rice, who represents Morin's family, expects the trial will take at least two weeks, and due to the high publicity of the case, selecting a jury may take longer than normal.
The murder trial could get underway by the end of the week following jury selection.
Morin's body was found off the Ma & Pa Trail on August 6, 2023, the day after she left for a jog.
Law enforcement believes Martinez-Hernandez hid in a drainage culvert before attacking and murdering Morin.
Rice said it's been a long 19 months for Morin's family, and he hopes this trial helps them in the grieving process.
"This, at least, can be a door to be closed, that they can go through this process of hopefully seeking justice," Rice said.
Arrest of Martinez-Hernandez
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested in June 2024 at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after a 10-month nationwide manhunt. He was extradited to Maryland for first-degree murder and rape charges.
Attorney Rice said Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) technology helped pinpoint Martinez-Hernandez's location.
"It's actually what they used in the Brian Kohberger case in the Idaho murder of the four college students out there," Rice said. "They were able to take DNA collected from a knife sheath and put it in the system and track back a family member in Pa, which ultimately led to the capture of Brian Kohberger, so it is really interesting technology," Rice said.
According to investigators, Martinez-Hernandez illegally escaped into the United States in 2023 after an arrest warrant was issued for a murder in El Salvador. DNA from the assault of a child and her mother in Los Angeles matched evidence at the scene of Morin's murder, according to law enforcement.
Preparing for trial
Bel Air Police are preparing for the trial, as well as high traffic with road closures.
Cortland Street and Office Street between Bond and Main Streets will be closed to vehicles during courthouse hours.
Traffic barriers have been set up outside the courthouse.
Morin's mother speaks with WJZ
Patty Morin, relieved that her daughter's accused killer was captured, sat down with WJZ for an exclusive one-on-one interview after the suspect was taken into custody in 2024.
"I was just so very grateful that they didn't give up," Patty Morin said. "That she wasn't the folder on the desk that I was afraid might happen."
Patty Morin said the 10-month-long nightmare ended for her family, but they were left with a mix of emotions.
"It takes and shatters," Patty Morin said. "All the things that you had put up to, kind of buffer yourself from the pain, and now you have to face the reality that she really is gone. We've lost her, and so like I said, it was just it was a mix of emotions, and I'm still working through."
