Found Deceased MD - Rachel Morin, 37, left for walk on Ma & Pa Trail 6pm, car found at Williams St entrance, Bel Air, 5 Aug 2023 #3 *Arrest*

[PommyMommy]

JUL 12, 2024

Harford County State's Attorney pushing for maximum sentence for Rachel Morin murder suspect

A new court filing from Harford County State's Attorney, Alison Healey, is pushing for the maximum sentence if the suspect accused of killing Rachel Morin is convicted.

www.cbsnews.com

[...]

"We do know that he was here for quite a period of time following her homicide in the Bel Air area and, in fact, worked at two local businesses," Sheriff Jeff Gahler said.

The sheriff wouldn't say which businesses, but did reveal they were restaurants.

He also told WJZ Martinez Hernandez has friends in Bel Air, but was able to stay under the radar to those people and the rest of the community.

"We've uncovered nothing, to my knowledge, that anyone else in knowing before or after the fact what he had done here," Sheriff Gahler said.

[...]

 

[Charlot123]

I doubt CODIS looks for matches with a close relatives. That is what the genealogy matching labs do.

The most likely scenario is, DNA found on Rachel was matched to a relative in Maryland who had submitted DNA to one of the genealogy databases. LE went and talked with that relative, who said that Victor was staying with them. LE obtained some of Victors clothing that was left behind at this relative house, which they used to obtain a positive match to the DNA found on Rachel. LE then knew Victor was the perpetrator.

I think they did build "parallel trees", hence the trip to El Salvador.

 

[Charlot123]

I'm not sure. My thoughts are, if researchers are collecting DNA from isolated communities for some project, I'm not sure how or why those research results would end up in a commercial genealogy database, or be made available to forensic DNA analysts.

For example, I recently came across a cool story about a project that used the DNA of villagers living around the famous ruin Chichen Itza, to prove they are mostly direct descendents of the people who lived in Chichen Itza during its heyday, 3k or more years ago. But I doubt the DNA submitted for that specific, local project, would be made available, or used by, the big DNA collectors.

Personally, I think there's been some general population studies, by country, that enable commercial genealogical sites to identify DNA as, say, German, or Mexican, but they can't get closer than that (plus, there's nothing to say your germanic dna didn't come from someone in the Roman Legion who was part of the army that invaded ancient England, or whatever.) The turmoil of population movements isn't new.

JMO

Considering that El Salvador is a tiny country with high population density, there might be migration to Guatemala or Honduras, I presume. So his relatives could, in fact, be living in the neighboring country. Maybe this prolonged the whole identification process.

In Germany or GB, they can identify what lands or counties the ancestors lived in. Not sure about Mexico, yet.

 

[Mica]

JUL 12, 2024

Harford County State's Attorney pushing for maximum sentence for Rachel Morin murder suspect

A new court filing from Harford County State's Attorney, Alison Healey, is pushing for the maximum sentence if the suspect accused of killing Rachel Morin is convicted.

www.cbsnews.com

[...]

"We do know that he was here for quite a period of time following her homicide in the Bel Air area and, in fact, worked at two local businesses," Sheriff Jeff Gahler said.

The sheriff wouldn't say which businesses, but did reveal they were restaurants.

He also told WJZ Martinez Hernandez has friends in Bel Air, but was able to stay under the radar to those people and the rest of the community.

"We've uncovered nothing, to my knowledge, that anyone else in knowing before or after the fact what he had done here," Sheriff Gahler said.

[...]

This makes me wonder if he saw Rachel in town prior to the murder and then stalked her before deciding to rape and kill her.

 

[Knox]

This makes me wonder if he saw Rachel in town prior to the murder and then stalked her before deciding to rape and kill her.

Or even at the park itself. I think either is a good possibility.

 

[steeltowngirl]

<modsnip>

Morin family to attend RNC; suspect could face max penalty

Attorneys for Rachel Morin's family are seeking the most severe penalty under Maryland law for the man accused of killing her in August 2023.

www.wbaltv.com

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 15, 2024

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

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, the suspect charged in Bel Air mom Rachel Morin's death, had his initial court appearance canceled.

patch.com

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.

[...]

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.

[...]

Initial court appearance changed for suspect in rape and murder of Rachel Morin | WBAL Baltimore News

The initial court appearance for the suspect in the rape and murder of Rachel Morin was changed. Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, 23, was expected to make an initial appearance later this month. New

www.wbal.com

Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, faces six charges in the case. Charges include first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree rape, second-degree rape, third-degree sex offense and kidnapping.