Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A man convicted of the 2023 rape and murder of Rachel Hannah Morin on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air will spend the rest of his life in prison, prosecutors announced.

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was sentenced on Monday, Aug. 11, following his April 2025 jury trial conviction on all counts, which include first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense, and kidnapping, according to the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The jury reached its verdict in less than one hour of deliberation, officials noted.

Prosecutors said evidence showed that on Aug. 5, 2023, Martinez-Hernandez pulled Morin from the Ma & Pa Trail, raped and murdered her, and concealed her body in drainage culverts where it was found the next day.

After what prosecutors described as a lengthy investigation involving local and federal partners, Martinez-Hernandez was apprehended and charged.

At sentencing before the Honorable Judge Yolanda L. Curtin, Harford County State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey and Deputy State’s Attorney David W. Ryden requested the maximum penalty allowed by law: life without the possibility of parole, plus a consecutive life sentence, plus 40 additional years to serve.

The State’s presentation included victim impact statements from Morin’s mother, children, and siblings, which prosecutors said showed the immense loss her family suffered. 

Healey also noted the case’s impact on the Harford County community and the need to protect the public from what she called a continuing threat to safety.

During the trial, Healey highlighted inconsistencies in the Martinez-Hernandez's pre-sentencing investigation and psychosexual evaluation, referencing the doctor’s finding that Martinez-Hernandez showed “coldness, dismissiveness, and a callous attitude when discussing the offense, along with an absence of remorse, insight, acceptance of responsibility, or empathy, significantly heightening concerns about his risk of reoffending.”

Prosecutors also cited his alleged involvement in other violent acts, including an active “Red Notice” from El Salvador for aggravated femicide in the murder of another female victim, listing him as “armed, dangerous, likely to escape, and violent.”

Following sentencing, Healey issued a lengthy statement to officially close the case on one of Harford County's more infamous crimes.

“Arguably, Harford County has never seen a case or a defendant more deserving of every single day of the maximum sentence this Court imposed today," she said. "This has been a long and grueling process for Rachel’s family, and it is our hope that this sentence provides some sense of justice as they close this chapter and move forward in their grief and toward healing," Healey continued.

"Nothing will ever bring Rachel back to them or restore their lives to what they were before this immense tragedy, but hopefully, knowing this monster will spend every single day of the rest of his life behind bars will give them some peace as they move into the next chapter of their family story."

HSI Secretary Kristi Noem also took the chance to celebrate the life sentence.

"Today, Rachel Morin’s killer was sentenced to life without parole for her brutal murder. This criminal illegal alien should have never been in our country in the first place," she wrote.

"Rachel should still be here watching her 5 children grow up," Noem continued. "We hear far too much in the mainstream media about sob stories of gang members and criminal illegals and not enough about their victims."

Healey added: "My wish for this family and Rachel’s children is that they believe we gave them some sense of justice for the loss of Rachel and that they continue to honor her memory and legacy in everything they do for the remainder of their lives.”