Overview

• Martinez-Hernandez received consecutive life sentences plus 40 years after being found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense and kidnapping in the August 2023 killing of the 37-year-old mother of five.
• Judge Yolanda Curtin declared the defendant “not a candidate for rehabilitation” before imposing life without the possibility of parole and an additional life term.
• Prosecutors relied on more than 500 pieces of evidence, including DNA matches, crime-scene photographs, digital records and 53 images of child pornography discovered on the defendant’s devices.
• Morin’s family delivered emotional impact statements in court, with her mother describing nightmares and her children sharing heartfelt recordings about the void left by their loss.
• The case has driven national immigration debates after records showed multiple 2023 Border Patrol apprehensions and returns to Mexico and defense claims of acquittal on foreign murder allegations.