Body Camera Footage of Migrant Accused in Murder, Rape of Maryland Mom Rachel Morin
The man accused of killing Maryland mother Rachel Morin was arrested without incident at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following a 10-month nationwide manhunt. Newly released body camera footage from the Tulsa Police Department, obtained by FOX 5, documents the arrest of 23-year-old Victor Martinez Hernandez, an illegal migrant.
The footage captures the moment officers approach Martinez Hernandez at a bar. Initially cooperative, he steps outside when asked, but provides a fake name and denies having identification. When questioned, he claimed to be from El Salvador. His true identity was soon uncovered, leading to his arrest, which was met with relief as it marked the capture of Morin’s suspected killer.
Rachel Morin, a mother of five with children aged 8 to 18, was brutally raped and murdered on August 5, 2023, while jogging on the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County, Maryland. Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler of Harford County confirmed Martinez Hernandez’s arrest during a press conference, stating, “Five hours after meeting with [Morin’s] family and just before midnight our time, police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, assisted by our federal partners, located and arrested Rachel’s murderer: Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez.”
Martinez Hernandez, who crossed into the United States illegally in February 2023, has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape. Sheriff Gahler noted that Martinez Hernandez was also wanted in connection with a brutal murder in El Salvador in January 2023, and his first DNA match in the U.S. came from a Los Angeles attack in March 2023.
“Once in our country, and likely emboldened by his anonymity, he brutally attacked a 9-year-old girl and her mother during a home invasion in March of 2023 in Los Angeles,” Gahler said. The sheriff emphasized the broader implications of the case, criticizing the U.S. government’s immigration policies. “American citizens are not safe because of their failed immigration policies,” he stated, highlighting that this is the second time in two years that a woman in Harford County has been killed by someone in the country illegally.
Rachel Morin, 37, was reported missing on August 5, 2023, after her boyfriend noted that she never returned from her run on the Ma & Pa Trail. Her body was discovered the following day. In February, police released sketches of Martinez Hernandez, linking him to the location of a Los Angeles home invasion through DNA evidence. The Los Angeles Police Department had collected DNA from a hat left behind during the March 2023 attack, which led to the identification of Martinez Hernandez using the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
Rachel Morin’s family expressed their gratitude for the law enforcement agencies involved in the case. Patricia Morin, Rachel’s mother, emotionally stated, “I just want to take this time to thank all the law enforcement for all their hard work. They just really cared for our family and for our daughter. They were going to diligently work and find the person who murdered her.”