(PatriotPostNews.com) — A grand jury in Maryland has approved charges of rape and murder against an illegal immigrant suspected of attacking and killing a mother of five in 2023.
Last August, Rachel Morin was murdered while hiking in the Old Line State. Her suspected killer, a 23-year-old illegal migrant named Victor Martinez Hernandez, was arrested last month, following a 10-month search.
Authorities alleged at the time that he had unlawfully entered the United States to orchestrate a crime ring he launched in El Salvador. On Tuesday July 2, the suspect was indicted by a Harford County Circuit Court grand jury, which approved two counts of both rape and homicide, among other charges, including kidnapping.
Randolph Rice, an attorney seeking justice for Morin and her family, described the indictment as “a crucial step” in the case, moving closer to “achieving justice” for the victim and “holding the defendant accountable” for his actions.
Hernandez was sought by law enforcement for 10 months, since Morin’s death, and eventually arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After being found at a bar in the midwestern state, he was extradited to Maryland, where he was later indicted. He was reportedly in Maryland during most of the manhunt, taking shelter with family members.
In addition to Morin’s assault and death, Hernandez is suspected of killing another person back in El Salvador as well as an attack on a child in Los Angeles, California.
On August 5, 2023, Morin’s boyfriend reported her missing after she did not come back from a run. Her car was uncovered at the Ma & Pa Heritage Trailhead hours after the missing report. The next day, her body was found by local law enforcement.
According to investigators, Morin is believed to have been attacked while running on the trail before being dragged and killed in a wooded area. The murder is suspected of taking place in a drainage culvert beside the trail.
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