High-Profile Trial Begins for Undocumented Immigrant Suspected of Murdering Rachel Morin

The trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, a 24-year-old Salvadoran national accused of raping and murdering Rachel Morin in August 2023, is set to begin this Tuesday with jury selection. The case, which has garnered national attention partly due to Martinez-Hernandez's immigration status, is expected to last two weeks.

Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was last seen heading out for a walk on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland. Her body was discovered the following day, and DNA evidence recovered from the scene was linked to a home invasion and assault in California. Authorities used the match to identify Martinez-Hernandez as a suspect.

Martinez-Hernandez unlawfully entered the U.S. in February 2023 after an arrest warrant for murder was issued for him in El Salvador, CBS News reported on the one-year anniversary of the murder back in August.

The outlet also reported that, after settling in the country, Martinez-Hernandez went on to assault a woman and her 9-year-old daughter in Los Angeles. U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him three times but expelled him under Title 42 due to a lack of a criminal record in U.S. databases.

Authorities have said that the accused has gang ties and connections in Maryland and Virginia, with Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler adding at the time that "he came here to escape the crime he committed in El Salvador" and expressing hope that he would spend the rest of his life in prison.

The defense sought a change of venue in pre-trial proceedings, arguing that extensive media coverage would make it impossible to find an impartial jury, as Fox 45 News Baltimore reports. The judge denied the request, citing the county's large population. "There are people all the time that I run into, and I ask, 'Have you ever heard of the Rachel Morin case?' And they say they haven't," said attorney Randolph Rice, who represents Morin's family.

The defense also requested that jurors complete an open-ended questionnaire before selection and that the final jury be sequestered. The prosecution argued these were attempts to delay the trial, and both motions were denied.

Among the first witnesses expected to testify are Morin's former boyfriend, Richard Tobin, and her two eldest daughters, who were among the last to have contact with her. Morin's mother, Patty, was the only family member present in court for Monday's proceedings. Rice said she is focused on seeking justice, stating, "She's really got just the understanding that everything happens for a reason."

The trial was thrust into the spotlight last year as Morin's family became vocal in national debates on immigration. Her mother, Patty, appeared alongside former President Donald Trump when he closed his campaign in Pennsylvania.

"There is a proverb and the proverb says when a righteous man reigns, the people rejoice, but when wickedness reigns, the people mourn, and it has been four years of our country mourning because of the hardships that have been inflicted on us that are unnecessary," Ms. Morin said back then.