Illegal immigrant convicted for murdering mother of five

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Rachel Morin's mother, Patty Morin, speaks to the U.S. Senate about her daughter's murder. Associated Press / Photo by Mark Schiefelbein

Illegal immigrant convicted for murdering mother of five

A Maryland jury on Monday found Victor Martinez-Hernandez guilty of raping and murdering 37-year-old Rachel Morin in 2023. After a two-week trial, the jury found Hernandez guilty of all six charges brought against him. He now faces life in prison for the crime.–Maryland did away with its death penalty in 2013.

Authorities arrested Hernandez last summer after a monthslong search. He is originally from El Salvador. Authorities there have accused him of killing a young woman before he came to the United States illegally in February 2023, said Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler.

What are the details of the case? Morin, a mother of five, was exercising on a popular hiking trail northeast of Baltimore in August 2023 when Hernandez attacked, killing her and hiding her body in a drainage culvert, according to authorities. Police connected Hernandez to the murder through DNA evidence collected at the scene, and officials in Oklahoma arrested him last year.

President Donald Trump cheered the verdict and blamed former President Joe Biden’s lax border policies for allowing Hernandez into the country.

Dig deeper: Listen to Emma Freire’s interview with Morin’s mother about God’s sovereignty in light of tragedy.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.