Victor Martinez Hernandez, a 23-year-old suspect in the August 2023 murder of Rachel Morin, was ordered to be held without bail at a hearing on Friday. Harford County State's Attorney Alison Healey described Morin's murder as one of the county’s most brutal and violent offenses. "At this point, I am really just focused on getting justice for Rachel," Healey stated, as per WBAL. Currently facing first-degree murder and rape charges, Hernandez was denied bail by a judge, as emotions ran high in a courtroom packed with Morin's family and friends.
Hernandez is also suspected of the murder of another woman in July 2023 in El Salvador, as well as a home invasion and sexual assault in Los Angeles, according to Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler. Not having returned to their home since the beginning of May 2024, Hernandez's Maryland relatives provided critical evidence, including clothing items, that eventually led to his arrest in connection to the Morin case. With a three-year-old daughter and parents to support, Martinez Hernandez made his court appearance through a circuit TV as an interpreter kept him informed, CBS News reported.
Testimony at the bail review indicated Martinez Hernandez had lurked, awaiting Morin as she jogged along the Ma and Pa Trail before attacking her. Details emerged of her being dragged through the woods to her eventual demise by blunt force trauma and strangulation, with the medical examiner finding 10-15 head wounds. Attorney Randolph Rice, representing the Morin family, stated, "I certainly think justice for the family is this man never, ever gets out of jail again." according to WBALTV.
During Hernandez’s stay with family from December 2023 to May 2024, the suspect apparently left behind, clothing and shoes, that helped in implicating him through a DNA match. As per Patch.com, a set of charging documents revealed that investigative genetic genealogy was key in establishing the linkage that led to his arrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 14 and subsequent extradition back to Maryland. Hernandez is expected to reappear in court on July 18.
Further uncovering the depth of the suspect’s alleged transgressions, state's attorney Healey provided details about another homicide in El Salvador linked to Martinez Hernandez, as well as the sexual assault charges he faces in Los Angeles. Despite hearing these harrowing details, Patty Morin, Rachel's mother, found it tough to be faced with the man accused of her daughter's murder. "Patty Morin was very emotional," attorney Randolph Rice stated, according to CBS News, as deputies handed her tissues while she grappled with the gravity of the situation.
