The family of Rachel Morin, a Maryland woman who was tragically murdered by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador in 2023, has expressed their profound grief and shared poignant words in the wake of the perpetrator's sentencing on Monday.
Victor Martinez-Hernandez, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was convicted for the brutal murder of Rachel Morin. The mother of five was found raped, bludgeoned, and strangled to death on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Harford County in August 2023.
Martinez-Hernandez, who is also suspected of another murder in his home country, was apprehended in Tulsa, Oklahoma, almost a year later, in June 2024. According to Breitbart, Martinez-Hernandez was affiliated with the notorious MS-13 gang.
The court found Martinez-Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense, and kidnapping in connection with Rachel's death earlier this year. Following emotional impact statements from Rachel's mother, siblings, and four children, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Rachel's children, aged 9, 12, 15, and 20, delivered heart-wrenching statements. The three youngest children made their statements via audio recordings, as reported by WBAL. Rachel's son remembered his mother fondly, saying, "She was a good mom. Every time I see a picture of her, I think about the life I had with her and my four sisters. I miss her."
Faye McMahon, Rachel's eldest daughter, had initially planned to deliver her statement in person but chose to have Harford County States Attorney Alison Healey read it aloud. McMahon described her mother as "kind, strong, honest, determined and funny." She urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence on Martinez-Hernandez, labeling him as evil and asserting that he should never be free.
Rachel's mother, Patty Morin, revealed to the court the psychological toll her daughter's death had taken on her, causing nightmares, anxiety, and insomnia. "The depths of grief are equivalent to the depths of love felt. This will impact generations to come," she said.
Rachel's older brother, Michael Morin, expressed his family's despair, saying, "We have felt broken, despondent, we have cried, we have screamed, we have suffered." Despite the pain, he found the strength to forgive Martinez-Hernandez, citing his faith as the source of his ability to do so.
The family's plea for the maximum sentence was granted by Harford County Circuit Court Judge Yolanda Curtin. She told Martinez-Hernandez, "You are not a candidate for rehabilitation. There is simply no hope to rehabilitate you." She condemned his actions for not only brutalizing Rachel but also terrorizing the community.
Despite the family's anticipation of an apology from Martinez-Hernandez, none was forthcoming. States Attorney Healey revealed that a doctor who evaluated Martinez-Hernandez found him to be completely remorseless, even "laughing and joking" during the evaluation. Investigators also discovered child pornography on his phone.
Following the sentencing, Healey expressed hope that the knowledge of Martinez-Hernandez's life sentence would bring some peace to the grieving family. Patty Morin expressed her relief and gratitude for the maximum sentence, saying, "I felt relieved that hes never going to see the light of day outside of prison and that another person is not going to feel this grief."
Rachel's sister, Erin Layman, also reacted positively to the sentence, saying, "Life, plus life, plus 40, we couldnt ask for anything better. So, that does give us some closure. It doesnt bring Rachel back. Therell always be an empty void in our lives and in the childrens lives."
Matt McMahon, the father of Rachel's oldest child, acknowledged that while justice in the true sense was not possible, the sentence was the best outcome they could have hoped for.
The sentencing also drew reactions from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons. Both officials emphasized that Martinez-Hernandez should never have been in the country in the first place and expressed their condolences to the Morin family. Lyons reiterated ICE's commitment to protecting and serving the American public from illegal alien crime.
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