A Maryland jury on Monday found illegal immigrant Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez guilty of murdering Bel Air woman Rachel Morin in August 2023.
37-year-old mother of five, Morin, was jogging on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel-Air, a charming town located northeast of Baltimore, when Martinez-Hernandez suddenly attacked her, strangling and beating her to death, as per authorities.
The prosecution wrapped up their case on Friday, and shortly after, the defense also concluded its case in under 10 minutes before moving on to the closing arguments, as per a report by FOX 45.
Randolph Rice, representing the family, expressed that this has been an emotionally draining ordeal for Rachel’s family, yet they remain resolute in their quest for justice, as stated in a previous announcement on Friday.
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was charged in the murder of Rachel Morin. (Harford County Sheriff’s Office)
Witnesses who were walking along the Ma & Pa Trail when Morin was still considered missing said they found a path resembling a deer trail flattened by leaves, but they soon discovered rocks with blood on them near the trail and followed the unusual markings through two tunnels near the trail with overgrown brush.
That’s where they came across Morin’s naked body, Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey said in her opening statements.
The 23-year-old migrant illegally crossed into the United States in February 2023, police announced.
“We all suspected that Rachel was not his first victim,” Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said after the suspect’s arrest. “It is my understanding that this suspect, this monster, fled to the United States illegally after committing the brutal murder of a young woman in El Salvador a month earlier, in January of 2023.”
Gahler added that officials’ first DNA match for Martinez-Hernandez was from a Los Angeles home invasion and attack in March 2023.
Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
