'I Miss Her': Rachel Morin's Son Says At Killer's Sentencing

BEL AIR, MD — Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 24, who was found guilty of raping and killing Rachel Morin on the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail in 2023, was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole — the maximum penalty for all the charges he was convicted of in her death.

After 10 victim impact statements were given, Circuit Judge Yolanda L. Curtin ordered Martinez-Hernandez to serve a consecutive life sentence plus 40 years in prison for first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sex offense and kidnapping. The Baltimore Banner reported Martinez-Hernandez plans to appeal.

Morin's family gave impact statements in open court before his sentence was announced. The court heard from Morin's siblings, her mother and four of her children, who are now 9, 12, 15 and 20 years old. Her three youngest children delivered their statements via audio recordings, reported WBAL.

"She was a good mom," Morin's son said, "Every time I see a picture of her, I think about the life I had with her and my four sisters. I miss her."

On April 14, Martinez-Hernandez of El Salvador was found guilty on all charges in the death of the 37-year-old Bel Air mother of five who was out walking on the popular trail.

"The defendant is completely and entirely unamenable to treatment or rehabilitation," Harford County State's Attorney Alison Healey told the court. "If he is released, our community is in grave danger. … It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when."

In May, Healey said Martinez-Hernandez will serve his murder sentence in Maryland and not be deported when she spoke with The Baltimore Sun. Healey also commented on the sentence in a news conference afterward.

“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. 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. 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. 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," Healey said during the news conference.

Martinez-Hernandez is a Salvadoran national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2023.

"Shortly after entering the trail, Rachel was brutally attacked by Victor Martinez-Hernandez, who was waiting in the woods. Rachel fought for her life, as she was pulled 150 feet from the main trail into the woods. This was shown by the health data contained on her phone and Apple watch," Healey said in a news conference held after the trial. "Evidence presented in trial proved that once concealed in the drainage culverts just off the trail, she was viciously beaten, raped and ultimately murdered at the hands of the defendant. DNA evidence recovered from various parts of Rachel's body matched the DNA of Victor Martinez-Hernandez.

"Despite his claims that he had never been to Maryland, the state produced multiple witnesses and business records proving that he was living and working in Bel Air at the time of the murder. Ultimately apprehended in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the defendant's phone was seized, examined and found to contain multiple photos and screenshots of Rachel, Harford County news coverage relating to the murder investigation and searches of her name," Healey added.

"You are not a candidate for rehabilitation," the judge said in court to Martinez-Hernandez. "There is simply no hope to rehabilitate you. You took a life that was not yours to take. Your acts not only brutalized a young woman but also terrorized a community. The Ma & Pa Trail is a place of beauty ... your acts turned that into a place of terror."

Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler posted on Facebook after the sentence was handed down that last week was the two-year mark since Morin's light was dimmed, something he described as "a brutal loss that continues to inflict immeasurable pain on her children, mother, siblings and everyone who loved her."

"The grief they carry is unfathomable, and the void left in their lives can never be filled. Today’s sentencing of Rachel’s murderer to a life sentence without the possibility of parole, a second life sentence and an additional 40 years, means he should never walk freely again. This sentence delivers justice, but it is not closure. There remains a difficult road to healing. We stand with the Morin family, committed to honoring Rachel’s memory," Gahler wrote.

Related:

• Rachel Morin's Killer Will Learn Fate At Upcoming Sentencing
• Decision Made About Where Rachel Morin's Killer Will Serve His Life Sentence For Murder
• Sentencing Set For Rachel Morin's Killer Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez
• Conviction In Rachel Morin Murder Trial Makes Community Safer: Sheriff
• Multiple Blows To Head, Face Plus Strangulation Led To Morin's Death: Doctor Testifies
• Murder Suspect Seen With Shovel Before Rachel Morin Vanished: Trial Testimony
• Rachel Morin's Murder A 'Mother's Worst Nightmare'

• Martinez-Hernandez Trial's Starts In Death Of Rachel Morin: 'Mother's Worst Nightmare'
• Rachel Morin Murder Suspect's Trial To Begin Jury Selection
• Rachel Morin Murder Trial Calls For Road Closures, Increased Security In Bel Air