Rachel Morin's 'bum' killer mooched off locals before murdering mom of 5: lawyer

The lawyer for Rachel Morin's household says the proceedings of her murderer is simply a testament to relentless instrumentality enforcement and a devastating indictment of migration failures that allowed her slayer to execution the Maryland ma of five.

Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an amerciable migrant from El Salvador, was recovered blameworthy of raping and murdering Morin successful August 2023. The assemblage returned a unanimous verdict successful 46 minutes aft a weeklong proceedings that exposed the graphic details of the transgression and the cross-country manhunt that followed.

"After 19 months of going done this nightmare of losing Rachel, we present person a verdict," Randolph Rice, the Morin household attorney, told Fox News Digital. "Victor Martinez-Hernandez is blameworthy connected each counts."

RACHEL MORIN MURDER: JURY FINDS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT GUILTY OF KILLING JOGGER

Victor Martinez-Hernandez was recovered blameworthy of raping and sidesplitting Rachel Morin successful Maryland successful August 2022. (Tulsa Police Department/Facebook)

The Baltimore-based lawyer said the migrant was a "bum" who took vantage of the radical helium stayed with.

"What we besides learned was that helium truly had nary connections to that community, different than helium mightiness person had immoderate radical that helium knew from El Salvador erstwhile helium was a small child, and seemingly helium seemed similar helium was couch-surfing wherever helium could find a home," Rice said.

"He was a troublemaker. He was a bum who didn't wage for a happening and was yet kicked retired of that Bel Air home," helium said. "Even though they got him jobs, helium was conscionable sitting astatine the barroom drinking."

Entrance to the Ma & Pa Trail successful Maryland (Google Maps)

The Salvadoran migrant's way led him to the Ma & Pa Trail successful Bel Air, a quaint assemblage northeast of Baltimore, connected Aug. 14, 2023.

"She was attacked and dragged into a tunnel. Her Apple Watch aboriginal became a captious portion of evidence, linking the fishy straight to the transgression scene," Rice said.

Witnesses described pursuing humor trails that yet led to Morin’s remains. Forensic teams aboriginal recovered DNA from her body, the passageway partition and different surrounding evidence.

RACHEL MORIN'S ALLEGED ILLEGAL KILLER LEFT SLAIN JOGGER'S BODY ALONG 150-FOOT BLOOD TRAIL

They described a way with flattened leaves earlier uncovering rocks with humor connected them. The 2 witnesses walked done 2 tunnels with overgrown brush, wherever they recovered Morin's body.

"I saw an unclothed quality assemblage connected her back. At first, I genuinely thought it mightiness person been a cervid oregon thing that had died successful there," testified Evan Knapp, who recovered Morin’s body. "So, I had to determination a spot person to corroborate what I had seen, and it was a human. I consciousness similar clip froze for a second, and I didn’t cognize what I was looking at."

Evan Knapp testifies successful the execution proceedings of Victor Martinez-Hernandez astatine the Harford County Courthouse successful Bel Air, Md., connected April 4, 2025. (Dana Verkouteren)

Knapp and his friend, Cecilia, instantly called 911. Authorities retraced the way wherever Morin’s assemblage had been dragged aft her rape and murder. Police besides collected ample bloody rocks that authorities said were utilized to smash her skull.

Autopsy results revealed that Morin had endured 15 to 20 blows to the caput and had died from a operation of strangulation and blunt unit trauma. Her decease was officially ruled a homicide.

Victor Martinez-Hernandez was convicted of raping and murdering Rachel Morin successful Maryland connected Aug. 5, 2023. (Tulsa Police Department/Facebook)

Rice said this was a "preventable crime" that touched connected a flash constituent successful the 2024 statesmanlike contention with migration beforehand and center.

"This was a preventable transgression due to the fact that you had an idiosyncratic who should not person been successful the United States."

"And successful fact, helium was stopped 3 times astatine the border. He was returned to Mexico. And past yet helium crosses a 4th clip successful El Paso, Texas. And past helium goes connected his spree of crimes successful the United States, starting successful Los Angeles. There, helium breaks into a location and helium assaults a parent and girl there, and past helium makes his mode crossed the country, presumably connected a bus, to Bel Air, Maryland."

WATCH: VICTOR MARTINEZ-HERNANDEZ ARREST

Rice praised the dedication of instrumentality enforcement, noting that investigators combined DNA evidence, integer tracking and societal media clues to find the suspect. He was yet arrested astatine a barroom successful Tulsa, Oklahoma.

RACHEL MORIN MURDER: FORMER FBI AGENT REVEALS HOW CAPTURE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT IN KILLING WENT DOWN

"He had screenshots of property releases astir Rachel's execution saved connected his phone," Rice said. "He knew the nett was closing in."

Despite denying ever being successful Maryland, Martinez-Hernandez's DNA was matched to aggregate sources astatine the transgression scene.

Rachel Morin was recovered dormant connected a hiking trail. She was reported missing by her boyfriend, Richard Tobin, acold right. (Facebook)

Morin, 37, near down 5 children. Her 14-year-old girl was the archetypal witnesser to attest past week, warring backmost tears arsenic she described her mother’s disappearance.

"This is simply a scary reminder of however cautious we person to beryllium erstwhile we’re retired and about," said Rice. "Rachel ne'er knew this man. It was wholly random."

Martinez-Hernandez is acceptable to beryllium sentenced and could look beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole. Fox News Digital reached retired to his attorney.

Patty Morin, left, parent of Rachel Morin, is shown during the regular property briefing astatine the White House connected April 16, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

With disposable emotion, Morin's mother, Patty Morin, spoke arsenic a peculiar impermanent astatine Wednesday’s property briefing astatine the White House, sharing idiosyncratic grounds astir the urgent request to region transgression migrants from the country.

"These are the benignant of criminals President Trump wants to region from our country. These are the benignant of criminals that we request removed from our country. We are American citizens," she said. "Why should we let radical similar this, convulsive criminals that person nary conscience astatine all, to execution our mothers, our sisters, our daughters?"

"I don't recognize wherefore there's adjacent immoderate benignant of occupation with this. … We request to support our families, our borders, our children," she said.

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt, joined by Patty Morin, parent of Rachel Morin, left, holds a briefing connected April 16, 2025. (Pool)

Justice Department attorneys said they were unaware of Maryland migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia's whereabouts aft helium was deported to an El Salvadoran situation past month. (Fox News)

Rice slammed Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., for traveling to El Salvador connected Wednesday to cheque connected the information of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 39-year-old who was deported to the El Salvadoran mega situation called the Terrorism Confinement Center for being an alleged MS-13 pack member, though his attorneys support helium does not person immoderate pack ties.

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"So it seems that helium is giving much attraction to an amerciable migrant than helium is to a Maryland and American citizen, Rachel Morin," Rice said. "That's brainsick … it is conscionable a no-brainer. You're present to support Americans and Marylanders. And he's much disquieted astir going to El Salvador and bringing an amerciable migrant backmost who is simply a pack member."

After Martinez-Hernandez was convicted of Morin's murder, Van Hollen said successful a connection helium was grateful to instrumentality enforcement and calling for "meaningful action" to betterment "our breached migration system."

"We tin bash this portion besides supporting our migrant communities and respecting the rights of individuals who are present legally – I americium committed to doing both, and I volition proceed pressing my colleagues connected some sides of the aisle to determination guardant connected this issue," Van Hollen said.

Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.