Illegal immigrant suspected in Maryland mom Rachel Morin's murder faces maximum penalty if convicted
Rachel Morin's suspected killer will face Maryland's maximum penalty of life imprisonment without parole if convicted of her murder, Harford County prosecutors said in a notice to the court.
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, faces a half-dozen charges, including first-degree murder, rape, and kidnapping, in connection with Morin's death. Authorities have labeled him a potential serial killer after his alleged involvement in a slew of crimes against women in Central America and the United States.
He is an illegal immigrant suspected not only in Morin's murder, but also a pair of sex assaults in California and the brutal slaying of another woman in his home country of El Salvador.
Morin was a 37-year-old mother of five who went out for a jog on a trail near her home in Bel Air, Maryland, about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore. She never made it back. Police found her body in a culvert, covered in bruises and with severe head trauma.
Under state law, prosecutors are required to inform the defendant if they plan to pursue the max sentence. If convicted without such a notice filed, Martinez-Hernandez would be eligible for parole after just 25 years.
"The Morin family is relieved and pleased that the State is seeking life without parole for the Defendant," said Randolph Rice, the attorney for Morin's family. "This ensures that the suspect responsible for Rachel's tragic death will never have the opportunity to harm anyone ever again. We are grateful for the State's commitment to securing justice for Rachel and ensuring public safety."
The suspect is a suspected gang member with a violent past in multiple countries.
Martinez-Hernandez is suspected of the brutal murder of another woman in El Salvador in January 2023.
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He fled the country and entered the U.S. illegally in February 2023, according to authorities.
The following month, a woman and her 9-year-old daughter were attacked in a home invasion in Los Angeles.
By August, he was in Maryland, where he allegedly pounced on Morin, brutalized her and left her in a ditch.
DNA collected in the Los Angeles case later provided a match to Morin's.
He spent 10 months laying low before police arrested him at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Martinez-Hernandez is being held without bail.