Rachel Morin: Victor Martinez Hernandez arrested in Oklahoma

The hunt for a suspect within the killing of Rachel Morin, which started final summer season close to a verdant Bel Air path, ended late Friday in a Tulsa bar.

Authorities arrested Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, 23, charging him with first-degree homicide and first-degree rape within the killing of Morin, a 37-year-old mom of 5 whose physique was present in August.

“Rachel’s assassin is not a free man,” Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler mentioned at a Saturday afternoon information convention. “Hopefully he’ll by no means have the chance to stroll free once more.”

Surrounded by regulation enforcement officers from the FBI, Homeland Safety and different businesses, Gahler detailed a collection of crimes spanning 1000’s of miles to which he mentioned Hernandez is linked.

Hernandez is needed for killing a girl in his native El Salvador in January 2023, then violently attacking a lady in a Los Angeles house invasion two months later, Gahler mentioned. He surfaced in Bel Air final summer season.

Quite a few witnesses noticed a person matching Hernandez’s description lurking within the woods close to the Ma & Pa Heritage Path within the days previous to Morin’s killing, in line with investigators.

Morin, 37, went for a run alongside the Bel Air path round 6 p.m. on Aug. 5 and by no means returned. Volunteers combing the woods discovered her physique in a drainage culvert the next day.

The killing of Morin, who owned a cleansing enterprise and was a health fanatic, galvanized Harford County, the place violent crime is uncommon. The case drew nationwide and worldwide consideration from cable information reveals, tabloids and social media sleuths. Lots of of ideas poured into the sheriff’s workplace.

Two weeks after Morin was killed, the sheriff’s workplace introduced that DNA discovered on Morin’s physique was linked to a suspect in a March 2023 house invasion in Los Angeles. Few particulars have been launched on that incident, however investigators mentioned the person violently attacked a lady and left traces of DNA on a water bottle and ball cap on the house.

A house safety video confirmed a Latino man exiting the house. He gave the impression to be in his 20s, round 5 foot 9 and 160 kilos, authorities mentioned. In February, the sheriff’s workplace launched a composite sketch of the suspect, primarily based on interviews with individuals who noticed the person across the path and the Los Angeles house invasion victims.

Invoice DelBagno, particular agent in command of the FBI Baltimore Discipline Workplace, mentioned brokers used genetic family tree — a comparatively new know-how — to determine the suspect. Investigators traveled to El Salvador to observe a lead, he mentioned.

A significant break within the case occurred Could 20, which might have been Morin’s thirty eighth birthday, when investigators bought a reputation, Gahler mentioned, calling it “a poetic coincidence or Rachel’s personal divine intervention.”

As soon as investigators had recognized Hernandez, they tracked him to Oklahoma. He was “casually sitting on the bar,” when officers surrounded him, in line with a Tulsa Police Division Fb put up.

“Initially the suspect lied about his true identification and denied any information of the crimes he’s needed for,” Tulsa police mentioned. A photograph accompanying the put up confirmed Hernandez, carrying a yellow T-shirt, his arms apparently handcuffed behind his again, standing in entrance of a window marked “sports activities bar.”

Gahler mentioned that, after leaving Bel Air final summer season, Hernandez moved to Prince George’s County, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles earlier than heading to Tulsa. Hernandez labored odd jobs and had ties to gangs, Gahler mentioned.

The sheriff’s workplace alerted Morin’s household Friday afternoon that investigators had discovered the suspect and had been making ready to arrest him, mentioned Matt McMahon, father of Rachel Morin’s oldest youngster, Faye McMahon. At 1:18 a.m. Saturday, investigators referred to as to say Hernandez was in custody, McMahon mentioned.

“I’m feeling aid and gratitude,” Matt McMahon mentioned. “Gratitude to the Harford County Sheriff’s Workplace for not giving up on Rachel.”

Morin’s mom, Patty Morin, who described herself as “very emotional,” additionally expressed her gratitude to the sheriff’s workplace on the press convention.

“It gave me such hope that they actually did care about my daughter, my household, and so they actually had been going to search out the one that murdered my daughter,” Patty Morin mentioned

The information rippled via Morin’s household. McMahon mentioned he referred to as and texted pals and the opposite fathers of Morin’s youngsters. The youngsters vary in age from 18 to eight. He spent an hour speaking by video messenger with Rachel’s brother, John Morin, in New Zealand.

Harford County State’s Legal professional Alison Healey vowed to lead the prosecution of Hernandez. She mentioned her workplace is working to extradite Hernandez to Maryland, a course of that would take 10 to 60 days, relying on whether or not he contests it.

Gahler, a Republican, emphasised that Hernandez was an undocumented immigrant.

“The Americans usually are not protected due to failed border insurance policies,” he mentioned, putting the blame on President Joe Biden and Congress.

“Victor Hernandez didn’t come right here to make a greater life for himself or his household,” Gahler mentioned. “He got here right here to flee a homicide in El Salvador.”

Baltimore Banner reporter Lee O. Sanderlin contributed to this report.

This story could also be up to date. A earlier model of this story said that Hernandez was arrested in a car parking zone, primarily based on data from the Harford County Sheriff’s Workplace.