Victor Martinez-Hernandez Convicted of Rape and Murder of Rachel Morin

A Maryland jury found the Salvadoran illegal immigrant guilty of first-degree murder and rape in the 2023 killing of the mother of five, following less than an hour of deliberation.

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, and related charges for the 2023 killing of Rachel Morin on Maryland's Ma & Pa Trail.
The jury reached a guilty verdict after deliberating for less than an hour, concluding a nine-day trial marked by overwhelming DNA evidence tying Martinez-Hernandez to the crime scene.
Prosecutors detailed that Morin, 37, was ambushed, raped, and murdered in a premeditated attack, with her body found in a drainage tunnel following a 150-foot blood trail.
Martinez-Hernandez, who entered the U.S. illegally in 2023, was also linked to prior violent crimes in Los Angeles and El Salvador, intensifying scrutiny on U.S. immigration policies.
The case has drawn national attention, becoming a focal point in debates over border security and justice, with sentencing for Martinez-Hernandez still pending.