Rachel Morin’s Killer Sentenced to Life Without Parole in Maryland

A Harford County judge on Monday sentenced 24-year-old Victor Martinez-Hernandez to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus a consecutive life term and an additional 40 years, for the 2023 rape and murder of Rachel Morin.

Morin, 37, was attacked while jogging on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air on Aug. 5, 2023. Prosecutors said Martinez-Hernandez brutally beat her and left her body in a drainage tunnel under Maryland Route 24. A jury convicted him in April of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sex offense and kidnapping.

During the sentencing, Circuit Judge Yolanda L. Curtin told Martinez-Hernandez he had multiple chances to stop during the attack but was “unstoppable.” She called the crime “premeditated, planned and vicious,” and said there was “no hope to rehabilitate you.”

Morin’s family, dressed in black, gave emotional victim impact statements, describing her as a loving mother of five, a “radiant light” and “our family treasure.” Her 15-year-old daughter said in a recorded message that losing her mother was when her “life ended.”

Martinez-Hernandez, a native of El Salvador, had crossed into the U.S. illegally in 2023 after being expelled three times before. Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey called the case “most likely the most violent attack this court or this county has ever seen.”

Defense attorneys asked for a sentence allowing parole, citing their client’s impoverished upbringing and the need to provide for his young daughter. Martinez-Hernandez declined to testify but said he intends to appeal.

The killing drew national attention and was referenced during the 2024 presidential campaign.