Salvadoran illegal immigrant Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty on Monday of murdering Maryland mother Rachel Morin.
Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty on all four counts by a Maryland jury — first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense, and kidnapping. The Salvadoran ambushed the mother of five while she was on a jog in a Baltimore suburb in August 2023, beating, raping, then strangling her to death.
The case became a cause celebre of problems associated with illegal immigration, with Morin’s murder featuring prominently on the 2024 campaign trail.
During the nine-day trial, the defense presented for only ten minutes and called a single witness. The jury deliberated for less than an hour.
“This has been an emotionally grueling experience for Rachel’s family, but they remain steadfast in their pursuit of justice,” Randolph Rice, the family’s attorney, said before the ruling in a Friday statement.
President Donald Trump celebrated the decision in a post on Truth Social.
“Moments ago, the Illegal Criminal, who was allowed into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden, was convicted of the heinous murder of Rachel Morin. Rachel was a beautiful mother of five from Maryland, and her life was taken at the hands of a monster who should have NEVER been here in the first place,” he wrote.
“The Fake News should be focusing on the beautiful life and tragic death of this Maryland Mother, rather than the so-called “Maryland Father,” who is actually an MS-13 Gang Member and Foreign Terrorist from El Salvador. We will never forget Rachel Morin, and are committed to protecting women like her across our Country. We will deport Illegal Murderers, Rapists, and Criminals. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump added, alluding to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
After the guilty verdict was announced, Harford County, Maryland, Sheriff Jeff Gahler criticized the U.S. immigration system for allowing the murder to happen.
RACHEL MORIN UPDATE: MOTHER OF MURDER VICTIM ‘DEEPLY TOUCHED’ BY TRUMP PHONE CALL
“The failure here, again, is the immigration system that allowed this person to enter our country illegally and remain in our country and commit crimes in Los Angeles and then here in Harford County,” Gahler said, according to Fox News.
Martinez-Hernandez was tracked down through DNA found at the crime scene, ultimately being arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
