Who is Victor Martinez-Hernandez?: Authorities have arrested Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, for the murder of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five. Harford County Sheriff Jeffery Gahler announced the arrest during a news conference on Saturday.
Details of the Arrest
Martinez-Hernandez, 23, was apprehended late Friday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with assistance from federal authorities, nearly a year after the brutal rape and murder of Morin. He has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape. Sheriff Gahler revealed that Martinez-Hernandez entered the United States illegally in February 2023.
“We all suspected that Rachel was not his first victim,” Gahler said. He explained that Martinez-Hernandez fled to the United States after committing a brutal murder in El Salvador in January 2023. The first DNA match for Martinez-Hernandez came from an attack in Los Angeles in March 2023.
Connection to Previous Crimes
“While he was in our country, probably emboldened by his anonymity, he brutally attacked a nine-year-old girl and her mother during a burglary in Los Angeles,” Gahler stated. This incident provided the first DNA link to Rachel Morin’s case.
The sheriff criticized current immigration policies, stating, “We are 1,800 miles from the southern border and American citizens are not safe because of failed immigration policies.” He highlighted that this is the second case in two years in which an innocent Harford County woman has been killed by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador with gang ties.
“Victor Hernandez did not come here to build a better life for himself. He came here to escape the crimes he committed in El Salvador and to murder Rachel,” Gahler added. “This should not have happened.”
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The Murder of Rachel Morin
Rachel Morin, 37, was reported missing by her boyfriend on August 5, 2023, after she failed to return from a run on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, a normally quiet city northeast of Baltimore. Her body was discovered the next day. In February, police released sketches of the then-unidentified Martinez-Hernandez based on DNA evidence from the Los Angeles burglary.
Role of DNA Evidence
The DNA evidence was linked through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Los Angeles police had collected a hat left at the scene of the March 2023 burglary, which ended in violence, injuring several people, including children. Surveillance footage shows Martinez-Hernandez leaving the crime scene shirtless.
Family’s Gratitude
Rachel’s mother, Patricia Morin, expressed her gratitude for the police efforts. “I want to take this opportunity to thank all the police officers for their hard work,” she said. “They really cared about our family and our daughter. They worked hard and found the killer.”
Conclusion
The arrest of Victor Martinez-Hernandez marks a significant development in the case of Rachel Morin’s tragic death. As the investigation continues, it underscores the importance of robust law enforcement and community cooperation in bringing justice to victims and their families.
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