Rachel Morin’s accused killer appears in court, denied bail

An illegal immigrant charged with the brutal murder of Rachel Morin on a Maryland hiking trail in 2023 made his first court appearance on Friday as the murder victim’s family looked on.

Victor Martinez Hernandez, 23, appeared in court by video link from the Harford County Jail, handcuffed and wearing a black and white striped jumpsuit, but declined to speak, according to the family’s attorney, Randolph Rice.

“It was an emotionally difficult experience. [the family] “To view the defendant on a video screen,” Rice said in a statement.

Judge Kerwin Miller ordered Martinez-Hernandez held without bail, calling him a danger to the community and a flight risk.

Rachel Morin murder: Illegal immigrant from El Salvador charged with raping, murdering Maryland mother of five

Victor Hernandez Martinez is accused of raping and murdering Rachel Morin on Aug. 5, 2023, in Bel Air, Maryland. (Hartford County Sheriff’s Office/Tulsa Police Department)

Court documents released Thursday revealed that Martinez-Hernandez had been hiding out with relatives in the state during the nationwide manhunt that led to his arrest on murder charges.

He was held at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was extradited to Maryland on Thursday to face charges of rape, murder and assault.

His relatives in Maryland told police he stayed with them from December 2023 to May 2024, then suddenly disappeared, according to court documents.

They did not say where in the state they live or how close the location is to where Morin was found on Aug. 5, 2023.

Rachel Morin murder case: Ex-FBI agent reveals details of arrest of illegal immigrant accused of murder

A photo of Rachel Morin is posted to a tree along the Mommy and Daddy Trail on Aug. 10, 2023, in Bel Air, Maryland. (Mega from Fox News Digital)

Morin’s mother, Patty Morin, was surprised Martinez Herandez didn’t run away.

“It’s really brazen to remain in the state where you committed your crime,” she told Fox News Digital. “I’m amazed. I’m amazed his family didn’t see the fliers that we put up.”

The police search for Martinez Hernandez extended to Los Angeles and El Salvador.

Maureen’s boyfriend reported the 37-year-old missing after she went for a walk on the Mama & Papa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, and never returned.

Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, 23, arrived in Maryland. He was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape for the murder of Rachel Morin on Mama & Papa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Getty Images)

Police later found the mother of five’s car parked near the trail and her badly beaten body in a nearby culvert.

Martinez-Hernandez left a bag of clothing behind after leaving a relative’s home last month, and police were able to recover DNA from those items that matched crime scene samples.

Authorities said Martinez Hernandez, who has suspected gang ties, fled his native El Salvador in February 2023 after an arrest warrant was issued there for the murder of a woman.

Authorities said the suspect had tried and failed to enter the U.S. three times before crossing the border near El Paso, Texas, on Feb. 13, 2023.

Rachel Morin murder: Maryland State Police link crime scene DNA to Los Angeles assault, burglary

Rachel Morin, a mother of five, was found dead on the side of a hiking trail on August 5, 2023. She was reported missing by her new boyfriend, Richard Tobin. (Facebook)

Police said Morin assaulted a 9-year-old girl during a robbery in Los Angeles in March, and DNA tests from that incident matched samples found on Morin’s body.

“Victor Hernandez didn’t come to this country to better his life or his family’s, he came to escape crimes he committed in El Salvador. He came to kill Rachel, and, God help us, no one else,” Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said over the weekend.

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Morin’s relatives said they were concerned Martinez Hernandez may have become violent while in the United States.