Testimony puts Rachel Morin's murder suspect in Maryland in summer 2023
Victor Martinez-Hernandez, the man on trial for the murder of Maryland mother Rachel Morin, was in Harford County in the summer of 2023, according to testimony on Thursday.
Morin was found murdered on August 6, 2023, a day after she went for a jog on the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County.
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested 10 months later, in June 2024, in Oklahoma, after investigators said he was tied to the crime scene. He is charged with murdering and raping Morin.
Harford County Sheriff's Detective Michael Wilsynski said on June 13, 2024, he spoke with Martinez-Hernandez's aunt and cousins, who live in Temple Hills, Maryland, in Prince George's County.
He told the jury he handed over Martinez-Hernandez's Facebook information, where he went by the name Fernando Ismael, his phone number, and clothing he left behind before leaving the area.
Martinez-Hernandez's shoes, a sweatshirt, and dirty laundry were swabbed for DNA, which was taken to the Maryland State Police forensics lab, according to Wilsynski.
Once Martinez-Hernandez was determined as the lead suspect, law enforcement applied for an arrest warrant.
They then contacted T-Mobile and were able to ping his cellphone to a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where police there found him and arrested him on June 14, 2024.
Despite lying about his name, according to police officers who testified from Tulsa, Martinez-Hernandez ultimately admitted to his true identity and was taken into custody.
Martinez-Hernandez's ties to Harford County
One of Martinez-Hernandez's cousins testified that the suspect reached out to his mother in Prince George's County, saying he needed a place to stay. He moved in with them in December 2023, according to the cousin.
Former roommates and employers testified that Martinez-Hernandez was in the Bel Air area during the summer of 2023.
They all consistently testified that Martinez-Hernandez appeared dirty with long hair and a long beard when he first arrived, which could establish what he looked like at the time of the murder.
"He establishes somewhat of when he arrives here in 2023, who he was with, where he was living, and more importantly, where he was working," said Randolph Rice, the Morin family attorney. "Apparently, he was working at Popeyes for a period of time, then he had a job at Barrett's on the Pike, so that puts him in the area, it puts him in contact with people, and that hopefully establishes that he was here when this crime occurred."
Harford County State's Attorney Allison Healey told the jury that when authorities arrested Martinez-Hernandez, he declined to ever live in Bel Air, or ever be in Maryland.
Martinez-Hernandez's phone traced to Oklahoma
Harford County Digital Forensics Supervisor Heather Marsh, who examined Martinez-Hernandez's phone, testified that she found WiFi connections, user maps, and a user dictionary that all link Martinez-Hernandez to Maryland.
Evidence presented to the jury also showed nine images, including several photos of Morin, a press conference from the Harford County Sheriff's Office regarding the Morin investigation, and three photos from WJZ reports.
The phone's user dictionary also found words such as Bel, Air Maryland, Rachel, and matar, which means to kill in Spanish.
Detectives from Harford County made the trip to Tulsa the next day.
Second juror dismissed
A second juror was dismissed from the trial on Thursday with little context. She was immediately replaced by an alternate.
The first juror was dismissed from the courtroom on Wednesday. Before court proceedings began, the judge called up eight jurors, and the eighth one, a man, was dismissed.
The judge did not share a reason for the juror's dismissal.
The trial for Victor Martinez-Hernandez got underway in Harford County on April 4 and is expected to continue through April 16.
Witness testifies to seeing Rachel Morin
One man who said he saw Rachel Morin on the trail the day of the murder testified on Wednesday.
Kyle Stacy told the jury he was walking on the trail with his dog and girlfriend when he crossed paths with Morin.
Stacy said he had been to the trail dozens of times before, claiming it's highly unusual to see people hanging out off the main trail. He said he heard a branch snap in the wooded section off the trail about half a mile from the trailhead.
That's when, he said, he turned toward the noise and locked eyes with a broad-shouldered man who was holding a black stick with an orange cap. Stacy said the man was "acting sneaky" and looked like he had been caught.
Stacy said the encounter made him nervous and uncomfortable, putting him on high alert going back toward the trailhead. That's when he testified that he saw Morin, wearing headphones and adjusting her Apple Watch.
He told the jury, "I wish I said something."
Randolph Rice advertises with WJZ CBS News Baltimore and has a sponsored segment that airs on WJZ at 9.
