In a shocking incident that has sent ripples across the nation, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador has been apprehended on charges of sexually assaulting and murdering a Maryland mother of five.
The accused, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, had illegally crossed the southern border of the United States in February 2023, as reported by The Daily Signal.
According to Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, Hernandez is suspected of launching a brutal attack on Rachel Morin in August 2023 while she was exercising on the MA & PA Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, a location approximately 30 miles northeast of Baltimore.
In a press conference held on Saturday, Gahler expressed his deep concern over the safety of American citizens, stating, We are 1,800 miles away from the southern border and the American citizens are not safe because of failed immigration policies. He directed his comments towards the White House and Congress, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Gahler further revealed that this is the second instance in two years where an innocent woman from Harford County has fallen victim to a criminal who is in the country illegally.
Morin was reported missing by her boyfriend on August 5 last year when she failed to return home from her walk. Her body was discovered off the trail in a culvert the following day. The case, which attracted national attention, involved local, state, and federal authorities. A significant breakthrough came on what would have been Morins 38th birthday, when DNA evidence led to the identification of Hernandez as the suspect.
Hernandez is also suspected of attacking a 9-year-old girl and her mother during a home invasion in Los Angeles in March of the previous year. Gahler disclosed during the press conference that Hernandez has connections to known gangs and is wanted in his home country for another womans murder.
Victor Hernandez did not come here to make a better life for himself, or for his family, he came here to escape a crime he committed in El Salvador. He came here and murdered Rachel, and God willing, no one else, Gahler said.
Hernandez was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday night. Gahler expressed hope that Hernandez would never walk free again, noting that the extradition process from Tulsa to Harford County is underway but could take several weeks.
Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., criticized President Joe Biden's immigration policies, stating that Morins five children are without their mother because Joe Biden refuses to secure the border and keep this murderer the hell out of our country.
Similarly, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., accused the Biden administration of allowing violent migrant crime to run rampant in communities across the country, stating that justice is owed to Rachel Morins family and many others.
During the press conference, Patricia Morin, Rachel's mother, expressed her gratitude to the authorities for their relentless pursuit of her daughter's murderer.
Sheriff Gahler assured that Hernandez would not be deported before facing the consequences of his alleged crimes in the U.S., adding, hes going to spend, God willing, the rest of his days behind bars. This case serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for effective immigration policies to ensure the safety of American citizens.
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