Victor Martinez-Hernandez, charged with Rachel Morin’s murder, has requested a venue change from Harford County. His public defenders argue prejudicial media coverage prevents a fair trial.
Martinez-Hernandez faces first and second-degree murder charges in the August 2023 killing of Morin, a mother of five, on Bel Air’s Ma & Pa Trail. Law enforcement believes he ambushed Morin from a drainage culvert.
After a year-long manhunt, authorities arrested Martinez-Hernandez in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June 2024, using genetic genealogy evidence. He allegedly entered the U.S. illegally multiple times in early 2023 after fleeing murder charges in El Salvador. DNA evidence also linked him to an assault on a mother and child in Los Angeles.
The case gained national attention, with true crime podcasters contributing to a $35,000 reward. Morin’s mother, Patty, expressed relief at the arrest while acknowledging renewed grief.
A motion hearing is scheduled for January 31 in Harford County Circuit Court.
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