Man convicted of kidnapping, raping, and killing woman on popular hiking trail

HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (TCN) — A man has been convicted of kidnapping, raping, and killing a hiker on a popular trail in 2023.

On April 14, the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office announced that a jury found Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense, and kidnapping in connection with the death of Rachel Morin, a mother of five. The state intends to seek the maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder conviction.

According to prosecutors, on Aug. 5, 2023, Morin “spent her day as she often did.” She reportedly hung out with her children and boyfriend, went to work out, and then ran errands before taking a walk on the Ma & Pa trail, which witnesses said was “her peace,” and she “never could have predicted that on that day that she would never see or speak to her children again.”

Morin’s boyfriend reported her missing after she failed to return home, and her body was discovered off the trail the following day.

The state’s attorney’s office said that Martinez-Hernandez waited in the woods and then “brutally attacked” the victim, pulling her 150 feet from the main trail into the forest. Morin allegedly “fought for her life,” which was revealed through the health data on her phone and Apple Watch. Prosecutors argued that Martinez-Hernandez “viciously” beat, raped, and then killed Morin.

Investigators recovered DNA evidence from Morin’s body that ultimately matched the defendant’s DNA. Martinez-Hernandez reportedly claimed he had never been to Maryland, but witnesses and business records proved otherwise, revealing that he lived and worked in Bel Air at the time of the attack.

Police announced the arrest of Martinez-Hernandez on June 15, 2024. They said he was wanted in El Salvador on suspicion of murder but fled to the United States. The defendant is also accused of assaulting a 9-year-old girl and her mother during a home invasion in Los Angeles.

Investigators reportedly searched Martinez-Hernandez’s phone and found numerous photos and screenshots of Morin, as well as news coverage related to her death and searches of her name.

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