Charging documents reveal new details on Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez’s actions after allegedly killing the mother-of-five — including where he hid out and how evidence turned over by his family led to his arrest.
Rachel Morin’s accused killer appeared in court for the first time since his arrest, 10 months after the mother-of-five’s brutal murder on a Maryland running trail.
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma last Friday and charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree rape, and first- and second-degree assault of Morin, whose body was discovered in August 2023 after she never returned from a run.
He didn’t speak as he appeared via video link from Harford County Detention Center for Friday’s bail hearing, reports FOX News Digital, where he was denied bail. An attorney for Morin’s family said it was an “emotionally challenging experience” to see him during the brief appearance.
Harford County Sheriff’s Office
Arrest Made 10 Months After Mother of 5’s Brutal Murder on Running Trail
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The hearing comes after charging documents released Thursday gave new insight into how Martinez-Hernandez was apprehended by authorities.
According to relatives cited in the docs, they said he stayed with them in Maryland — the same state where the murder happened — from December 2023 through May 2024. At this point, it’s unknown where he was from the time of the August slaying until he showed up at their door four months later. It’s also unclear where in Maryland he was staying.
“That’s really brazen to stay in the state where he committed the crime,” Morin’s mother, Patty Morin, told Fox News Digital. “It amazes me. It also amazes me that his family didn’t see the fliers we posted.”
So far, it’s unknown whether Martinez-Hernandez’s family was aware he was wanted for Morin’s murder.
Investigators reportedly used genetic genealogy to identify Martinez-Hernandez in May; his family also turned over two bags of clothes and a pair of shoes to investigators after he left that same month. DNA from those items matched DNA from the crime scene.
Details of the Crime and Investigation
The investigation into Morin’s murder began in August 2023, after her boyfriend said she never returned from a run on the Ma & Pa trail in Bel Air. After he reported her missing, her body was discovered the following day along a hiking trail. Later that month, authorities released footage of a male they believed was connected to the brutal homicide of Morin; the video was from Los Angeles, where Martinez-Hernandez is accused of “brutally” attacking a young girl. DNA found at the crime scenes in both L.A. and Maryland were a match.
On the six-month anniversary of the mother of five’s murder, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office released two sketches of the suspect, and new details about the case.
Then, he was apprehended in Tulsa last week; he was extradited to Maryland on Thursday.
During Saturday’s press conference, Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said Martinez-Hernandez was not a legal citizen, and illegally crossed the border in February 2023 after three unsuccessful attempts. According to Tulsa County jail records, Martinez-Hernandez was also on an ICE hold.
Gahler said Martinez-Hernandez “fled” El Salvador to the US after he allegedly murdered a woman in January 2023.
