Northeast
Illegal immigrant suspect in Rachel Morin's murder expected to argue for a change of venue
The El Salvadoran migrant accused of brutally killing a Maryland mother of five on a running trail before leading police on an interstate investigation is expected to argue for a change of venue Friday to have his case moved out of the town that received national attention after the murder.
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, faces charges of first-degree murder and first-degree rape after police allege he beat, raped and killed Rachel Morin on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland in August 2023.
Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was reported missing after failing to return from her daily jog. Police said her remains were discovered stuffed in a drain pipe near the trail.
She suffered savage injuries that her mother told House members during a congressional hearing were so severe she was unrecognizable even after morticians tried to make her up for the funeral.
MOM OF JOGGER ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY MIGRANT PRAISES FRIENDSHIP WITH INCOMING PRESIDENT
Rachel Morin was dragged off a hiking trail Aug. 5, 2023, and brutally murdered. (Family handout)
Lawyers for Martinez-Hernandez told the court that news of his arrest sparked “numerous inflammatory and prejudicial reports.”
“Public reaction to these reports has been uniformly derogatory against the Defendant,” the defense wrote in a court filing. “The numerous comments which accompany media reports indicate that the Defendant has been the subject of nationwide public hatred and vilification, notwithstanding that no trial has yet occurred.”
Martinez-Hernandez came to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador in 2023. Police in his home country suspect him in another woman’s murder there, and before his arrest in Morin’s case, California authorities allege he raped a woman and her 9-year-old daughter in a home invasion attack there.
Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was killed in Maryland last year, joins Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump onstage during a campaign rally at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 4, 2024. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
“This hearing is an important milestone as we move closer to justice for Rachel,” Randolph Rice, the attorney for Morin’s mother Patty Morin, said Tuesday. “The family remains committed to seeing this process through and ensuring the evidence is presented fairly at trial. They are prepared for this step and remain resolute in their pursuit of accountability.”
OPEN BORDER ‘ALLOWED’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TO KILL MOM OF 5, MARYLAND SHERIFF SAYS
Martinez-Hernandez made his first in-person court appearance in October, coming face to face with Morin’s mother for the first time after repeatedly attending court dates virtually.
Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, arrives in Maryland. He is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape in Rachel Morin’s death on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, Maryland. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/Getty Images)
There was an Interpol warrant out for his arrest at the time he came to the U.S. Border Patrol agents had blocked his entry to the country three times before he finally snuck in.
Police captured him in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June 2024, 10 months after Morin’s murder. He was extradited to Maryland days later and is also the subject of an ICE detainer.
Martinez-Hernandez remains in the Harford County Jail pending trial. He faces a sentence of up to life imprisonment without parole.
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Police are investigating a double homicide in the Frog Hollow section of Hartford, officials said.
According to officials, police were notified by citizens of a large fight that happened on Madison Street near Zion Cemetery just after 7 p.m. When officers got to the scene, they found a man in his 30s unresponsive and suffering from a stab wound.
The man was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
While at the scene, investigators learned that two others were taken to an area hospital via private car.
One of them was another man in his 30s suffering from a gunshot wound and was in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead. A 17-year-old was the second one taken to the hospital via private car, but his injuries were non-life-threatening, officials said.
According to officials at the scene, investigators do not believe the public is in danger and are reviewing surveillance footage in the area as part of the investigation.
Neither man has been identified by officials at this time.
No arrests have been made at this time, police said.
The rapper was a no-show at his 20 Years of Carter Classics stop in Maine
Mr. Carter, tell us, where have you been?
Lil Wayne has apologized to fans after he was a no-show at his own concert on Tuesday in Bangor, Maine. The stop was the first date on his 20 Years of Carter Classics tour extension following a successful 2025 run.
“My Maine fans I’m so sorry… The show is being rescheduled to July 28. Please hold on to your tickets, they will be honored for the rescheduled date,” wrote Wayne in an Instagram Stories post the day after. “I ain’t shit without you I can’t wait to come back and give you the show you deserve.” The rapper said that additional information will be emailed to ticket holders.
On Tuesday, after 2 Chainz wrapped his opening set at the Maine Savings Amphitheater, the crowd reportedly waited for quite some time before being informed at 11 p.m. that Wayne would not be appearing and the show was over. No official explanation was provided.
“Well, I came here for Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, and it was the most terrible experience. We drove over six hours to be here,” Rita Sack, an attendee who drove more than six hours from Nova Scotia for the concert, told local station Wabi.
Sack told the outlet that an apology from the rapper at the time would have been appreciated. “We paid for Lil Wayne. Like, the least you can do is come out for a minute, apologize, you know? Like, just take the moment and be like, hey guys, sorry, not feeling it, feeling a little sick,” said Sack.
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