Rachel Morin Homicide Suspect's Initial Court Appearance Canceled: Prosecution

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — The initial appearance in court for Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, the suspect in the homicide and rape of Bel Air mom Rachel Morin, was canceled Monday. Instead, several court dates were set, with his trial set to start Oct. 23.

No reason was given for the cancellation of the initial court appearance as of 4 p.m. July 15.

In an official notice filed with the court by Harford County State's Attorney Alison Healey, last week, Martinez-Hernandez will face Maryland's maximum penalty of life in prison without parole if he's convicted of first-degree murder or first-degree rape. He currently has been charged with six counts: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree rape, second-degree rape, first-degree assault and second-degree assault.

The Maryland Public Defenders office entered their appearance in the Harford County Circuit Court case number C-12-CR-24-000662 Monday, July 15, and during a closed-door scheduling conference, presiding Judge Yolanda L. Curtin set the following dates:

• Motions Hearing: Oct. 4, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. (EST) - The court will address various pretrial motions, including motions to suppress evidence or dismiss charges, among other legal arguments.
• Pre-Trial Conference: Oct. 22, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. (EST) - This hearing will allow the defendant to enter a guilty plea or advise the court if he intends to proceed to a bench or jury trial.
• Trial Date: Oct. 23, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. (EST) - The state prosecution and the defendant will proceed to trial on this date.

Morin, 37, whose body was found along the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air in August 2023, was a mother of five. She frequently jogged the trail near where she was found raped and beaten to death. Hernandez has been linked by DNA to a home invasion and sexual assault in southern California of a 9-year-old girl and her mother. Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said at a news conference following the suspect's arrest that Hernandez also is a suspect in the homicide of a young woman in El Salvador in July 2023, one month before Morin's death.

Detectives learned that Hernandez had been living in Maryland with relatives during most of the investigation into Morin's death. He was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 14, on unrelated charges.

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