Almost a 12 months after a mom-of-five was killed on a Maryland mountain climbing path, police stated they’ve made an arrest within the case.
On Saturday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Workplace introduced the arrest of Victor Martinez Hernandez, 23, in reference to the dying of Rachel Morin. The suspect is from El Salvador and was arrested Friday at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in accordance with the Baltimore Banner.
“Rachel’s assassin is now not a free man,” Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler stated throughout a information convention streamed on-line. “Hopefully he’ll by no means have the chance to stroll free once more.”
Morin, 37, was discovered useless in August 2023 alongside the Ma and Pa strolling path in Bel Air, Maryland.
Police stated Morin was taken from the trail and dragged into the woods. Her stays we present in a culvert the subsequent day.
An investigation discovered DNA on the scene of Morin’s killing. That very same DNA profile was linked to an assault and residential invasion in California. Nevertheless, police weren’t in a position to catch the suspect and the case lingered, till Friday.
“I’m right here to inform you Rachel’s assassin is now not a free man. Hopefully, he won’t ever have the chance to stroll free once more,” Gahler stated. “The lead we acquired was associated to DNA proof and allowed investigators to lastly put a reputation to the picture of the suspect within the video from Los Angeles, which we launched two weeks after Rachel’s dying.”
Police revealed that Hernandez had been residing illegally within the US since February 2023, in accordance with WBAL-TV.
He’s believed to have killed a lady in El Salvador earlier than crossing into the US, in accordance with WBAL-TV. A month later, he attacked a nine-year-old woman and her mom throughout a house invasion in Los Angeles, police stated.
Gahler revealed that three weeks in the past, on the day that may have been Morin’s thirty eighth birthday, police obtained a lead within the case. They then used that lead and genetic family tree to determine the suspect.
He was discovered sitting in a bar in Tulsa final week.
“We’re 1,800 miles from the Southern border right here in Harford County. That is the second girl in our county to be killed by unlawful suspects. In each instances, they’re suspects from El Salvador with ties to prison gangs,” stated Gahler.
“(This) shouldn’t be occurring. Victor Hernandez didn’t come right here to make a greater life for himself, or for his household, he got here right here to flee a criminal offense he dedicated in El Salvador.”
