Maryland prosecutors on Friday took a break from the lawsuit against Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, an illegal immigrant accused of raping and murdering Bel Air woman Rachel Morin in August 2023.
Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was jogging along the MA & PA trails in Bel Air, a quaint community northeast of Baltimore.
“It was an emotionally tough experience for Rachel's family, but they remained steadfast in pursuing justice,” family lawyer Randolph Rice said in a statement Friday. “The state has presented a thorough and powerful case. We are now waiting for a defensive response and look forward to closing the discussion to bring this trial to the final stage.”
Harford County det. Phil Golden testified Friday that prosecutors performed a video of an interview with the suspect after Morin's murder, which was facilitated by a Spanish interpreter.
Rachel Morin's illegal murder suspect left the body of a murder jogger along the 150-foot blood trail
Rachel Morin was ambushed, strangled, beaten and killed by Salvador's illegal immigrant Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez in August 2023. (Harford County Sheriff's Office)
In a video interview, Martinez-Hernandez says he has no knowledge of Morin and denied being with Bel Air at the time of the murder. Fox 45 Baltimore.
Illegal accusations faced by family members and ju judges in the murder of Jogger Rachel Morin
Martinez Hernandez, from El Salvador, repeatedly said that he was not in the area when Morin was killed when he was slain.
“I've done nothing wrong,” the suspect can be heard saying later in the interview.
Victor Martinez Hernandez will be handed over to Maryland on June 20th. (Tosla Police Station)
At one point in the interview, Golden showed Martinez Hernandez a photo of him posing with his cousin living in Virginia, and testified on Thursday that Martinez Hernandez was with her and her husband.
Maryland Sheriff's “gut” says Rachel Morin “creeps up” the suspect before the murder
The suspect first denied knowing about the photo and later admitted it was him, Fox45 reported.
Watch Bodycam video of Martinez-Hernandez's arrest:
Martinez Hernandez will eventually admit to police after his arrest that he was at Bel Air at the time of the murder, after first lying and providing a false identity.
When authorities searched for his phone, they said they found an internet query for “Bel Air.” [Md.]”And “Rachel” – including a spelled version of Morin's name – along with images of Morin and media reports related to the investigation.
Watch: Bodycame footage of immigrants accused of murder, Maryland rape mama Rachel Morin
Randolph Rice, left, Patty Morin, Center, Rebeka Morin, right, on Friday, April 4, 2025, the murder trial of Victor Antonio Martinez, arriving in Belford County Courthouse, Maryland, accused of murdering Rachel Morin. (Lee Green, Fox News Digital)
Golden also reportedly questioned Martinez Hernandez about his DNA, which is said to have been found at the scene of Morin's murder.
“No one has the same DNA,” Golden can be heard telling the suspect in an interview.
Illegal immigrants charged with murder of Rachel Morin in “Critical Steps”: Family Attorney
The Harford County Sheriff's Office in Maryland is searching for a missing woman, Rachel Morin. (Harford County Sheriff's Office)
As reported by Fox 45, Golden recalled in his testimony that Martinez Hernandez “didn't know” how his DNA reached the crime scene.
“[I]Someone wanted to harm him, but they could have taken his DNA and put it somewhere,” Golden recalled during his testimony.
Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, 23, arrives in Maryland. He is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape in the death of Rachel Morin on the MA & PA Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Getty Images)
The autopsy results revealed that Morin had endured 15-20 blows to the head and died from a combination of strangulation and blunt force trauma. Her death was officially He ruled murder.
In the April 4th statement, Harford County State Attorney Allison Healy said members of the community involved went along the walking trail after seeing a poster of the missing person on Facebook.
Illegal immigrant suspects in Rachel Morin's murder are expected to insist on changing venues
Photos of Rachel Morin were posted on a tree by her family last night on Thursday, August 10, 2023 along the MA and PA trails in Bel Air, Maryland. (Fox News Digital Mega)
Along the creek line, they found a trail similar to a flat-leafed deer trail before finding a bloody rock. The pair went through two tunnels with an overgrown brush, where they spotted Morin's body, Healy said.
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“I saw an undressed human body on her back. At first I really thought it might be a deer or something dead there,” testified Evan Knapp, who found Rachel Morin's body. “So I had to get a little closer to see what I saw. It was human. I felt frozen for a second and I had no idea what I was looking at.”
Officers hold a flyer requesting information about the murder of Rachel Morin on the MA and PA Trail in Bel Air, Maryland on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. (Fox News Digital Mega)
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The defense is expected to call witnesses on Monday, and the judge advised that closing discussions are likely to be filed on Monday as well.
Rachel Morin's family has been around every day of previous exams and is expected to remain at that conclusion.
