Hiding in Plain Sight? Suspect Remained in State Amid Manhunt for Rachel Morin’s Killer

The man accused of killing Rachel Morin in Maryland last August reportedly remained in the state for months after the slaying.

Victor Martinez-Hernandez’s family allegedly told authorities that he stayed with them in Maryland from December 2023 until May 2024. Martinez-Hernandez left two bags of clothes and a pair of shoes when he left Maryland in May, according to WJZ.

DNA was taken from the items Martinez-Hernandez, 23, allegedly left in Maryland. DNA from those items reportedly matched the DNA recovered from the crime scene.

Morin, 37, was found dead in a drainage ditch along Bel Air’s Ma and Pa hiking trail on August 6, a day after her boyfriend reported her missing, as CrimeOnline previously reported. Shortly afterward, DNA evidence linked Morin’s murder to a March 2023 home invasion and assault in California.

Police believe that months before Morin’s murder in August, Martinez-Hernandez assaulted a 9-year-old girl during a home invasion in California.

Martinez-Hernandez allegedly entered the country illegally in February 2023 after killing a woman in El Salvador. Officials said he tried to enter the country three times before successfully crossing the border near El Paso, Texas, on his fourth attempt.

On Saturday, Martinez-Hernandez was arrested at a sports bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following an FBI tip. On Thursday, he was extradited to Maryland, where he is charged with Morin’s rape and murder.

Martinez-Hernandez is due in court on Friday for a bail hearing.

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