Suspect in Rachel Morin murder appears in court for first time since arrest
BALTIMORE -- Victor Martinez-Hernandez, the 23-year-old man accused of murdering Rachel Morin in Harford County last August, appeared in court for the first time since his arrest Friday morning.
The hearing, which was scheduled as a motions hearing, was converted to a postponement hearing. Martinez-Hernandez's trial date was moved to April 2025.
Martinez-Hernandez faces six charges, including first- and second-degree murder, rape and kidnapping. He is represented by the Maryland Public Defender's Office.
Rachel Morin, a mother of five, was raped and murdered near the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air in August. Detectives said they tied Martinez-Hernandez to the case using advanced DNA technology. He was arrested in Oklahoma and extradited to Maryland in June.
Investigators say Martinez-Hernandez was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the murder.
If convicted, prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without the possibility of parole.