Suspect In LA Home Invasion Sexual Assault Of Girl Charged With Murder

BEL AIR, MD — A man linked to a March 2023 home invasion and assault of a young girl in Los Angeles was arrested in Oklahoma on Friday and charged in the brutal slaying of a Maryland mother of five, authorities said.

Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 23, was arrested in Tulsa and booked into the jail Saturday morning, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said at a press conference Saturday. He was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape in connection with the August 2023 death of 37-year-old Rachel Morin of Bel Air, Maryland.

Morin's body was found naked and "violently assaulted" in a drainage ditch near the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air a day after her boyfriend, Richard Tobin, reported her missing when she didn't return from her walk the night before.

A few weeks after Morin's death, police announced that DNA evidence pulled from the Morin crime scene matched DNA found at a Los Angeles home where a man attacked a 9-year-old girl and her mother.

SEE ALSO: DNA Links LA Home Invasion, Sex Assault To Notorious Maryland Murder

Doorbell video of the Los Angeles incident obtained by police showed a shirtless man authorities believed to be Martinez-Hernandez leaving the family's home.

It's unknown if he will face charges connected to the Los Angeles sexual assault and robbery.

Authorities said Martinez-Hernandez was hanging out at a storefront in Tulsa when officers charged him with trespassing. He was identified during processing as the person wanted in Maryland for Morin's death.

Investigators from Harford County were en route to Tulsa to begin the extradition process to return Martinez-Hernandez to Maryland to stand trial, the sheriff said. Extradition can take 30 to 60 days.

“I want him to die in the Maryland prison system,” Gahler said.

Morin's mother, Patricia, spoke at the news conference to thank the local, state and federal law enforcement agencies for their hard work. She also thanked the news media for keeping the story alive, which generated tips for investigators.

"At one point when things seemed really bleak and hopeless, the lead detective said to me, 'Patience will win in the end.' And that’s what they've been doing, they've been working really hard," Patricia Morin said.

According to Gahler, investigators uncovered a clue on May 20 — Morin's 38th birthday — that ultimately led to the suspect's arrest.

"Rachel's murderer is no longer a free man. Hopefully, he will never have the opportunity to walk free again. The lead we received related to DNA evidence that allowed investigators to put a name to the image of the suspect in the video from the Los Angeles attack that was released after Rachel's death. We knew what he looked like, but didn't know who he was. With that new DNA evidence, we then knew who he was, but not where he was at," Gahler said.

According to Gahler, Martinez-Hernandez is a citizen of El Salvador who illegally entered the United States in February 2023 after killing a young woman there. Gahler said an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer had been filed on the suspect because he's in the country illegally.

"He went from El Salvador to the U.S., Los Angeles to Harford County, then Prince George's County, Virginia, then Oklahoma," Gahler said. "We aren't sure where else he's been."

Gahler added that Martinez-Hernandez will not be deported before answering to the charges filed in Harford County.

"That's the last place he wants to go. Our jails are better here than they are in El Salvador. He's going to spend, God willing, the rest of his days behind bars," Gahler said. "We fear all the time that we're going to stumble across another crime through DNA or other science that he's committed."