Slain jogger Rachel Morin’s body found along 150-foot blood trail: prosecutors

Members of the neighborhood found the 150-foot blood path that led to Rachel Morin’s lifeless physique on a climbing path when volunteers helped the police search for the mom of Maryland, open feedback that had been revealed within the long-awaited course of for her accused migrant assassin.

Opening statements began on Friday morning on the Harford County Circuit Courtroom in Name Air, Maryland, For the trial in opposition to Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, a 23-year-old from El Salvador, accused of killing the 37-year-old Morin in 2023.

Morin’s relations, together with her mom, Patty Morin, had been seen within the courthouse on Friday.

Martinez-Hernandez is accused of raping and killing Morin, a mom of 5 Harford County, whose physique was found alongside a preferred climbing path in August 2023.

Illegale accused within the homicide of Jogger Rachel Morin confronted household, jury

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez is accused of raping and killing the mom of 5 Rachel Morin in Maryland on August 5, 2023. (Tulsa Police Division/ Fb)

Rebekah Morin, left, and Patty Morin arrive on Friday, April 4, 2025 at Harford County Courthouse in Bel Air, Maryland, for the homicide strategy of Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, who’s accused of murdering Rachel Morin. (Leigh Inexperienced for Fox Information Digital)

Morin was lacking after she didn’t get residence from a night train on the MA & Pa Path in Bel Air on August 5.

When opening statements on Friday, the lawyer of the state of Alison Healey of Harford County stated that the members of the neighborhood concerned had handed the climbing path after seeing posters of lacking individuals on Fb.

Alongside the creek line they discovered a path that appeared on a deer path, with flattened leaves earlier than they discovered rocks with blood on it. The couple walked by means of two tunnels, with overgrown brush, the place they discovered the physique of Morin, Healeey stated.

The members of the neighborhood instantly known as 911. Authorities withdrew the trail the place Morin’s physique was dragged after her brutal rape and homicide. The police additionally collected giant bloody rocks that the authorities say they had been overwhelmed.

Healey stated that the appropriate shoe and the socks of Morin had been left and her left shoe and socks had been thrown away. She famous that the bra van Morin had pulled her breasts.

The Harford County Courthouse in Bel Air, Maryland, Friday, April 4, 2025. (Leigh Inexperienced for Fox Information Digital)

Healey stated that the suspect, Martinez-Hernandez, compelled Morin to the tunnel wall and raped her. Proof turned out that the brutal assault had taken place between 19:04 and seven:10 PM, she stated.

Authorities found that her telephone was immersed within the water, fully crushed, collectively together with her destroyed Apple Watch. Within the neighborhood additionally they discovered her Apple Airpods.

‘Intestine’ by Maryland Sheriff says that Rachel Morin was ‘stalked’ by the suspect for her homicide

Erin Morin-Layman arrives within the Harford County Courthouse in Bel-Air, MD, Friday, April 4, 2025 for the homicide strategy of Victor Antonio Martinez, accused of murdering the Half-sister of Morin Layman, Rachel Morin. (Leigh Inexperienced for Fox Information Digital)

Post-mortem outcomes revealed that Morin had handed 15 to twenty strokes on the top and died of a mixture of strangulation and blunt power trauma. Her loss of life was formally dominated as a homicide.

Her physique wore bruises round her neck and based on Healey a DNA profile corresponded to Martinez-Hernandez.

View: Victor Martinez-Hernandez’s arrest of Oklahoma

On June 14, 2024, the authorities pend the cell phone of Martinez-Hernandez and responded to a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He ultimately admitted his identification after he initially lied to the police and gave a false title, the authorities stated.

When the authorities searched his telephone, they stated they found web questions for “Bel air, [Md.]”And” Rachel ” – together with a false model of Morin’s title – along with photos of Morin and Media – consideration with regard to the analysis.

View: physique digital camera photos of migrant accused in homicide, rape of Maryland -Mom Rachel Morin

Martinez-Hernandez repeatedly advised the authorities that he had by no means been to Maryland, solely in Texas and Oklahoma, they stated.

“You’ll indisputably be satisfied that it’s all the suspect’s DNA, “Healey stated Friday.” I’m positive you may be satisfied that he had a plan to take her off the trail and conceal her within the tunnel, to drug her inside it, introduced her to her, left her and left his DNA behind. “

You may be satisfied that he left her there and fulfilled the worst nightmare of a mom.

– Harford County State’s lawyer Alison Healey

The boyfriend of the killed Maryland mom Rachel Morin positioned a tribute to her. (Fb)

Lawyer Sawyer Hicks, who represents Martinez-Hernandez, used his opening assertion to make doubts in regards to the DNA match and means that the incident was a criminal offense of ardour.

Hicks repeated that the state has the burden of proof and famous that his shopper is assumed that it’s harmless till he has been confirmed with out affordable doubt that he killed Morin.

Unlawful immigrant charged for the homicide of Rachel Morin in ‘Essential Step’: Household Lawyer

“Once you withdraw to deliberate, we’re satisfied that you will notice that there’s a affordable doubt on this case and that Hernandez is just not responsible,” Hicks stated.

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was extradited to Maryland on 20 June 2024. (Tusla Police Division)

He stated that Martinez-Hernandez and Morin had been strangers and appeared to place the groundwork to throw suspicion on her then pal, Richard Tobin.

Hicks challenged the jury with pointed questions: “The place is the motive? The place is Richard Tobin’s DNA?”

Tobin isn’t accused of misconduct within the case.

Richard Tobin went to Fb on Sunday to disclaim that he had some involvement within the homicide of his girlfriend, Rachel Morin, whose physique was discovered on a climbing path. (Fb)

Morin’s pal took the place on Friday, sharing the couple had spoken about 5 months earlier than he requested her to be his girlfriend solely 5 days for Morin’s homicide.

After Morin had not answered the repeated SMS messages and telephone calls from Tobin, the troubles began to begin. He shared that his first thought was that she cheated on him.

“Somebody despatched me a message on Fb and stated that they had discovered her,” he stated. “I went loopy. I cried. I screamed. “

Who’s Rachel Morin?

Morin was lacking in August 2023 by her boyfriend, who stated she had by no means returned after she had gone to the MA & Pa -Pad, a pedestrian observe in Bel Air, a quiet and usually secure metropolis about 28 miles northeast of Baltimore, on August 5, 2023.

Her physique was discovered The subsequent day on the path.

In February the police launched new sketches of Martinez-Hernandez.

View: Rachel Morin Homicide Suected linked to La House Invasion, Assault

The sketches got here After DNA certificates Linked Martinez-Hernandez to the situation of a home invasion in Los Angeles. The police used the mixed DNA Index System (CODIS), in order that they had been led to a single DNA match for a non -created Spanish man.

The police of Los Angeles (LAPD) gathered a hat that continues to be on the location of the house invasion of March 2023 that had grow to be violent and injured a 9 -year -old woman and her mom.

Unlawful suspect of immigrants within the homicide of Rachel Morin anticipated to argue for a change of location

The suspect is claimed to have been damaged into the home in the midst of the evening and the household attacked inside earlier than he was chased. Surveillance by the person, left, shirtless, by means of the entrance door.

Images of first search in Maryland:

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“I will make this brief as a result of I’m very emotional,” stated Morin’s mom earlier. ‘I simply wish to take this time to thank all the things the regulation enforcement For all their laborious work.

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“They simply actually took care of our household and our daughter,” she stated. “They might work diligently and discover the one who killed her.”

The Alexandria Hoff and Sally individuals from Fox Information have contributed to this report.