Convicted Salvadoran fugitive handed life sentence for murder of woman on a Maryland hiking trail
In a courtroom in Maryland, Victor Martinez-Hernandez, a 24-year-old undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was sentenced to life without parole for the 2023 murder of Rachel Hannah Morin. The sentencing came after a jury trial where Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, and other offenses.
The attack on Rachel Morin occurred while she was exercising on a popular hiking trail northeast of Baltimore. According to investigators, Martinez-Hernandez bashed Rachel's head against nearby rocks, raped her, and concealed her body in a drainage culvert. The DNA evidence collected from Rachel's body was matched to Martinez-Hernandez.
Harford County Circuit Court Judge Yolanda Curtin presided over the sentencing hearing. In addition to the life sentence without parole, Martinez-Hernandez received an additional life sentence, plus 40 years. The sentencing hearing was held on Monday in Maryland state court.
Rachel Morin left behind five children. Several of her family members spoke during the hearing about the impact of her death on their lives. Randolph Rice, an attorney representing Morin's relatives, made a statement after the sentencing, saying, "While no sentence can bring Rachel back, the Morin family takes comfort in knowing justice has been done."
Before his high-profile murder conviction in Maryland, Martinez-Hernandez was linked to a violent home invasion in Los Angeles in March 2023. During this incident, he assaulted a 9-year-old girl and her mother. The home invasion occurred on March 26, 2023, and evidence connected him to this attack.
Martinez-Hernandez illegally entered the United States in February 2023, after an arrest warrant was issued for him in El Salvador, where he was wanted for murder. Despite being apprehended multiple times and deported under Title 42 earlier in 2023, he successfully crossed into the U.S. near El Paso, Texas, on February 13.
The attack on Rachel Morin sent shock waves through the suburban community of Bel Air, northeast of Baltimore. The incident was also used as a flashpoint in the 2024 presidential election campaign, with former President Donald Trump calling for increased border security and mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested last summer in Oklahoma. At the time of Morin's death, he was living in Bel Air, Maryland. The tragic case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of ensuring the safety and security of all communities.
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