U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that an illegal immigrant, identified as a 23-year-old Salvadoran national, has been charged with the murder of Rachel Morin, a mother of five from Maryland. The suspect, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, entered the U.S. as a 'gotaway,' managing to evade inspection by U.S. immigration officers near El Paso in February 2023.
According to ICE, Martinez-Hernandez had been apprehended by Border Patrol three times in January and early February 2023 but was returned to Mexico each time under Title 42. Despite these encounters, he successfully entered the U.S. undetected and was later arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 2024.
Following his arrest, Martinez-Hernandez was extradited to Harford County, Maryland, where he currently remains in jail awaiting trial. He has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape in connection with Morin's death, which occurred in August 2023.
Sheriff Jeffery Gahler of Harford County expressed concerns over the suspect's criminal history, noting that Martinez-Hernandez had fled to the U.S. illegally after allegedly committing a murder in El Salvador earlier in 2023. Gahler criticized the Biden administration's immigration policies, emphasizing the need for stronger border security measures to protect American citizens.
Rachel Morin, 37, was reported missing in August 2023 after failing to return from a run on a pedestrian trail in Bel Air, Maryland. Her tragic death has reignited debates over immigration enforcement and public safety, with local authorities calling for stricter measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
