Judge denies request to move Rachel Morin murder suspect's trial out of Harford County

BALTIMORE -- A judge denied a request Friday to move the trial in the murder of Rachel Morin out of Harford County. 

The request was submitted in early January on behalf of El Salvador native Victor Martinez-Hernandez who is accused in Morin's 2023 murder. 

In the request, Martinez-Hernandez's attorneys alleged that he could not receive a fair trial in the county because an impartial jury could not be seated, The Baltimore Banner reported.

The motion further claimed that the case had received "numerous inflammatory and prejudiced reports in both legacy and social media." 

"Public reaction to these reports has been uniformly derogatory against the Defendant, the numerous comments which accompany media reports, indicate that the Defendant has been the subject of nationwide public hatred and vilification, notwithstanding that no trial has yet occurred," Assistant Public Defenders Marcus Jenkins, Sawyer Hicks, and Tara LeCompte said.

In response to the defense's arguments to change venue, Harford County Circuit Court Judge Yolanda Curtin said voir dire -- the jury selection process -- is enough to weed out potential biases."

Curtin went on to say knowing about a case and living near where the crime in question happened are not disqualifying factors.

Alison Healey, Harford County State's Attorney, also said there's no "blatantly prejudicial" information out there about Martinez-Hernandez.

Matt McMahon -- the father of Morin's eldest child -- said he's glad the case is staying in Harford County.

"We want this to stay here. I live a couple miles down the street, I would rather drive a couple miles than drive a couple counties," he said.

Other motions brought up Friday mostly dealt with evidence in the case, including a motion to bring the jury to see the crime scene in-person during the trial.

Rulings are still pending on some of the motions.

Attorney Randolph Rice, who's been representing the Morin family, said now it's about preparing the family for trial.

"We know this is going to be a long trial, so it's something tehy're going to have to sit through. Now, unfortunately, they're going to hear about all the gruesome facts, which is going to be tough for them," Rice said.

The trial is scheduled for April 1.

Murder of Rachel Morin 

Martinez-Hernandez is facing several charges in connection with the killing of 37-year-old Morin in August 2023. 

Morin was a mother of five who left her home for a run on Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County. She was reported missing on August 5, 2023, after she did not return from her run. 

Her body was found near the trail the next day. 

Martinez-Hernandez was arrested in an Oklahoma bar in June 2023 after a 10-month, nationwide manhunt. He was charged with murder and rape, according to law enforcement officials. 

Officials believed he hid in a drainage culver and attacked Morin as she was walking. 

"There were even times when even I questioned where was this thing going to end up, would it become a cold case? I prayed not. Our detectives never lost faith and I think our community never lost faith," Harford County Sheriff Gahler told WJZ a year after the murder. 

Following Morin's murder, Harford County began installing cameras on Ma & Pa Trail in November 2023. 

Mornin's murder highlighted immigration in the U.S. 

Morin's murder and the arrest of Martinez-Hernandez gained national attention and brought a discussion about immigration to the forefront for many Americans, especially with the 2024 presidential election nearing. 

According to Sheriff Gahler, Martinez-Hernandez crossed the border into the U.S. in February 2023 after an arrest warrant was issued for the murder of a young woman in El Salvador. 

Martinez-Hernandez was apprehended by Border Patrol agents for unlawfully entering the U.S. on three separate occasions in 2023, including on Jan. 19, 2023, near Santa Teresa, New Mexico; Jan. 31, 2023, in El Paso, Texas; and Feb. 6, 2023, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

He was vetted and expelled after no criminal history was found. 

At that time, Title 42 was in effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure encouraged deportations, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

Investigators said he assaulted a 9-year-old girl and her mother at a home in Los Angeles in March 2023. 

Sheriff Gahler said Martinez-Hernandez had connections in the Washington, D.C. area, in both Virginia and Prince George's County, Maryland, and has ties to known gangs. 

Morin's murder addressed in politics 

President Donald Trump, who was not in office at the time, called Rachel Morin's mother to express his condolences after taking an interest in the case as it ramped up discussions about immigration. 

Rachel's brother, Micheal Morin spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2024. 

"Rachel, a joyful, accomplished athlete and mother of five, was raped and murdered by a suspected illegal immigrant," Michael said. "My sister's death was preventable."

He blamed the Biden administration's immigration policies for his sister's murder and told the crowd at the RNC that Mr. Trump would secure the border and prevent deaths like this from happening. 

"This was described as among the most brutal and violent offenses that had ever occurred in Harford County, Maryland, history," Michael said.