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 #2

[BlaiseFinlay]

That his haircut was only a few weeks old? I heard that too. I wish they would have corrected her.

My question is whether he set out to kill RM or if this was a rape that had gone horribly wrong. She fought back and in the process he took her life. It's possible this person is a serial rapist, not serial murderer and if so, I hope they are re-interviewing recent known rape victims.

jmo

LAPD seeks Mulholland Drive hiking trail sexual assault suspect

Police are searching for a sexual assault suspect who attacked a woman on a hiking trail near the 17000 block of Mulholland Drive on Nov. 21, 2022. The suspect is described as a man in his 30s with a 2-inch scar on his right forearm.

www.cbsnews.com

Suspect in Mulholland Drive trail sexual assault remains at large: LAPD

The search intensifies for a sexual predator who assaulted a woman on a hiking trail in November.

www.cbsnews.com

As someone who hikes in LA, yiiiiiiikes.

And yes, I agree that's very possible.

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

Agreed! You talk a lot of sense. A relative of mine was stabbed (albeit in the arm, and they are fine thankfully) in London last year. She said that she walked away calmly, because she didn't really have time to absorb what was happening until it was all over. Humans do things that appear strange in traumatic situations.

I should also add that even though I saw their faces up close, there is zero chance I could have worked with a sketch artist. I think there is little chance I could have identified them even if they drove me by someone fitting the rough description even minutes later. I told the cops as much when they asked. I could confirm whether they fit the very rough description, but that's about all I would be confident about.

But this was partly intentional -- I quickly turned my back to them after handing over my purse partly to indicate "okay, you got what you wanted, we're done here", and partly so I *wouldn't* get a longer look at them than necessary. My self-preservation instincts told me that being a bad witness was in my best interest. Good witnesses risk being silenced.

So yeah, I am reading comments on the LAPD Facebook page from people expecting the victim to be able to at a minimum work with a sketch artist, but that is not my expectation at all.

 

[dotr]

'Aug 30, 2023 #DanAbramsLive
The sheriff investigating the death of Maryland mom Rachel Morin has suggested the suspect might be a serial killer. Is it too early to make that determination? Candice Delong, a retired FBI criminal profiler, says while there’s “every reason to believe he’ll do it again,” by FBI standards, “he’s not a serial killer yet.”

 

[Joe Friday]

We don't know this. We don't know if perp simply saw her picture and didn't interact. Then, maybe he saw her on FB or something afterward.
We don't know...

I'm not saying it can't be done, but to simply see a picture RM on a dating site or Facebook and then with no interaction somehow know when and where she would be so the suspect could attack her, seem like a pretty big stretch. It would take many hours, if not days of surveillance to get to that point. I don't think this guy is going to spend or waste that much time on doing that. Furthermore I haven't seen one link to a dating app profiling RM. If there is, could someone please post it again?

I didn't see RM posting on her FB page her every move like some people do. At the gym, going jogging, at the nail salon, can't start my day without my Starbucks every morning, getting ready for bed, going to the bathroom. I'm not sure how we ever got through life before FB and knowing what some people are doing every minute of their day.

Unless this guy lives close and seen RM frequently to know her movements I don't think seeing a picture on a dating app or FB as a plausible explanation as to how they came in contact with each other. I think the guy scoped out the trail, knowing it was secluded and eventually a female would come along who he could assault without being seen.



JMO

 

[Elley Mae]

I didn't know she was on dating sites. (But, duh it doesn't surprise me because she had just started dating her boyfriend) Maybe that's where he saw her. She certainly is striking.

On the afternoon of her death Rachel Morin, 37, stopped at Glow – The Bronzing Studio on Red Pump Road in Bel Air for her daily spray tan at 2 p.m.

A source close to the salon told The Post all employees there knew her and the late mother had revealed to staff she was on “multiple dating sites” prior to her death.

However, that same week she had gone public with her romance with Richard Tobin, who was one of the last people to see her alive.

Exclusive | Maryland mom Rachel Morin was on ‘multiple dating sites’ before grisly murder, as new details emerge of her final hours

A source close to the salon where she got spray tans told The Post she’d tell staff all about her dating life before her untimely end.

nypost.com

 

[Elley Mae]

Any word on if her phone was found?

 

[Megnut]

I'm not saying it can't be done, but to simply see a picture RM on a dating site or Facebook and then with no interaction somehow know when and where she would be so the suspect could attack her, seem like a pretty big stretch. It would take many hours, if not days of surveillance to get to that point. I don't think this guy is going to spend or waste that much time on doing that. Furthermore I haven't seen one link to a dating app profiling RM. If there is, could someone please post it again?

I didn't see RM posting on her FB page her every move like some people do. At the gym, going jogging, at the nail salon, can't start my day without my Starbucks every morning, getting ready for bed, going to the bathroom. I'm not sure how we ever got through life before FB and knowing what some people are doing every minute of their day.

Unless this guy lives close and seen RM frequently to know her movements I don't think seeing a picture on a dating app or FB as a plausible explanation as to how they came in contact with each other. I think the guy scoped out the trail, knowing it was secluded and eventually a female would come along who he could assault without being seen.



JMO

Perhaps he had other "business" in the park --

Up to no good -- looking to buy, sell, steal --

So brazen...

Did no one else see him there?

 

[Friday Fan]

]

Did no one else see him there?

If they did, we don't know about it.

They said they're receiving tips.
But no info about what the tips are.

Keep in mind, many tips are received in many crimes, but it doesn't mean the crime is solved.

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

I've seen people say that it happened at 3:20 AM -- Does anyone know the source for that? The LAPD confirms the date and the LAPD division, but I haven't seen where people have figured out the time of the incident, especially when nobody has found a report of the incident.

On that point, I'm assuming people are searching crimemapping.com to try and find it, which is linked from the LAPD's website. I also can't find a burglary on March 26th in the right area after dark. But a few observations:

1) The website doesn't use the legal definition of assault (seems to use the common definition, referring to a battery), and I'm also not sure how crimes get reported for this purpose when there were multiple crimes committed. Would an assault that didn't involve a gun and didn't result in battery be reported to crime mapping? Does a single incident that violates multiple penal code sections get listed multiple times, or just under one? My thinking -- could it have been missed because of how it was categorized?

2) I used to get the crime blotters for my old neighborhood emailed to me. I recall noting in the past that shootings and homicides that I knew had happened in my area because they made the news wouldn't end up appearing in the crime map when I later checked (happened at least once, but I feel like I noticed this more than once). Never knew why, but I remember finding it concerning.

3) I searched burglaries on March 26, 2023 for the agency LAPD as well as burglaries on March 26, 2023 within 2 miles of the LAPD division station that took the report (not perfect correlation to the boundaries, but approximate). 3 results appeared for all of LAPD, and 1 appeared for the geographic search of the neighborhood. As noted, none seem to fit the information that has been released. But what I noticed is that the one that appeared in the geographic search is not one of the 3 that appeared in the agency search. I can't see any reason for that (and that one was specifically listed as LAPD - the geographic search does pick up some crimes that fall under the county's jurisdiction, but I checked for that). So unless I'm missing something, it's screwy.

So yeah, it appears to not be reliable -- for that reason, I find it curious, but not suspicious. And the LAPD would be foolish to address it, because crime reports identify the block a crime happened on and with that information combined with the video, anyone could quickly find out the victim's address. (I read that some sleuths had already figured it out, but that would at least not have been a quick process).

(Edited to remove information identifying the specific neighborhood.)

 

[Perky]

I've seen people say that it happened at 3:20 AM -- Does anyone know the source for that? The LAPD confirms the date and the LAPD division, but I haven't seen where people have figured out the time of the incident, especially when nobody has found a report of the incident.

On that point, I'm assuming people are searching crimemapping.com to try and find it, which is linked from the LAPD's website. I also can't find a burglary on March 26th in the right area after dark. But a few observations:

1) The website doesn't use the legal definition of assault (seems to use the common definition, referring to a battery), and I'm also not sure how crimes get reported for this purpose when there were multiple crimes committed. Would an assault that didn't involve a gun and didn't result in battery be reported to crime mapping? Does a single incident that violates multiple penal code sections get listed multiple times, or just under one? My thinking -- could it have been missed because of how it was categorized?

2) I used to get the crime blotters for my old neighborhood emailed to me. I recall noting in the past that shootings and homicides that I knew had happened in my area because they made the news wouldn't end up appearing in the crime map when I later checked (happened at least once, but I feel like I noticed this more than once). Never knew why, but I remember finding it concerning.

3) I searched burglaries on March 26, 2023 for the agency LAPD as well as burglaries on March 26, 2023 within 2 miles of the LAPD division station that took the report (not perfect correlation to the boundaries, but approximate). 3 results appeared for all of LAPD, and 1 appeared for the geographic search of the neighborhood. As noted, none seem to fit the information that has been released. But what I noticed is that the one that appeared in the geographic search is not one of the 3 that appeared in the agency search. I can't see any reason for that (and that one was specifically listed as LAPD - the geographic search does pick up some crimes that fall under the county's jurisdiction, but I checked for that). So unless I'm missing something, it's screwy.

So yeah, it appears to not be reliable -- for that reason, I find it curious, but not suspicious. And the LAPD would be foolish to address it, because crime reports identify the block a crime happened on and with that information combined with the video, anyone could quickly find out the victim's address. (I read that some sleuths had already figured it out, but that would at least not have been a quick process).

(Edited to remove information identifying the specific neighborhood.)

CrimeMappers only shows a DWOC - Vehicle Theft at 3:20am on the 26th March 2023 for that address. And you could actually put in a date range for a month or 5 months, and you're only going to see that one DWOC - Vehicle Theft.

 

[Friday Fan]

I've seen people say that it happened at 3:20 AM -- Does anyone know the source for that? The LAPD confirms the date and the LAPD division, but I haven't seen where people have figured out the time of the incident, especially when nobody has found a report of the incident.

On that point, I'm assuming people are searching crimemapping.com to try and find it, which is linked from the LAPD's website. I also can't find a burglary on March 26th in the right area after dark. But a few observations:

1) The website doesn't use the legal definition of assault (seems to use the common definition, referring to a battery), and I'm also not sure how crimes get reported for this purpose when there were multiple crimes committed. Would an assault that didn't involve a gun and didn't result in battery be reported to crime mapping? Does a single incident that violates multiple penal code sections get listed multiple times, or just under one? My thinking -- could it have been missed because of how it was categorized?

2) I used to get the crime blotters for my old neighborhood emailed to me. I recall noting in the past that shootings and homicides that I knew had happened in my area because they made the news wouldn't end up appearing in the crime map when I later checked (happened at least once, but I feel like I noticed this more than once). Never knew why, but I remember finding it concerning.

3) I searched burglaries on March 26, 2023 for the agency LAPD as well as burglaries on March 26, 2023 within 2 miles of the LAPD division station that took the report (not perfect correlation to the boundaries, but approximate). 3 results appeared for all of LAPD, and 1 appeared for the geographic search of the neighborhood. As noted, none seem to fit the information that has been released. But what I noticed is that the one that appeared in the geographic search is not one of the 3 that appeared in the agency search. I can't see any reason for that (and that one was specifically listed as LAPD - the geographic search does pick up some crimes that fall under the county's jurisdiction, but I checked for that). So unless I'm missing something, it's screwy.

So yeah, it appears to not be reliable -- for that reason, I find it curious, but not suspicious. And the LAPD would be foolish to address it, because crime reports identify the block a crime happened on and with that information combined with the video, anyone could quickly find out the victim's address. (I read that some sleuths had already figured it out, but that would at least not have been a quick process).

(Edited to remove information identifying the specific neighborhood.)

Maybe a police report was filed the next day.

Keep in mind unlawful entry (home invasion) could be that a minor allowed the perp to enter. LAPD is saying it was "home invasion", however they have not volunteered a police report or provided more info.

I know alot of stuff that gets reported via ring etc, just goes through a police report filed the next day at the local precinct. It's not a dispatch call.

 

[dotr]

I've seen people say that it happened at 3:20 AM -- Does anyone know the source for that? The LAPD confirms the date and the LAPD division, but I haven't seen where people have figured out the time of the incident, especially when nobody has found a report of the incident.

rsbbm

Suspect in Rachel Morin's death on Maryland trail linked to LA assault by DNA, police say

DNA from the the person who likely killed Rachel Morin on a Maryland trail matched that of a man who assaulted a girl in LA in March, police say.

www.usatoday.com

''The Los Angeles Police Department told USA TODAY the home invasion occurred on March 26 at 3:20 a.m. and said they could not share further information about the incident.

"We believe the suspect acted alone," Davis said of Morin's killing.

Davis said investigators believe the suspect is a 5-foot, 9-inch tall man in his mid 20s who weighs about 160 pounds.''

Noting this violent home invasion in Belair, LA fwiw..
April 2023

Violent home invasion in Bel-Air leaves victims in their 60s and 70s recovering from injuries

A woman in her 60s and a man in his 70s were bruised and beaten after being tied up during a violent home invasion in Bel-Air.

abc7.com

BEL-AIR, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Residents of a Bel-Air home were victims of a violent home invasion after they were tied up by intruders during an overnight robbery, Los Angeles police said.
Shortly before 1 a.m., three or four masked and armed male robbers entered the house in the 1300 block of Casiano Road and ransacked it, an LAPD spokesperson said.
A woman in her 60's and a man in his 70's were left bruised after being bound and punched.''

 

[Just K]

How do we know that the person that closed the door in the LA Ring video is the same person that was also the young victim?

We, the public, don’t know but LE would know.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I hate to say it but, in my opinion, that video is worthless in identifying the guy. You cannot see his face at all.
Perhaps genealogical DNA might turn up something.
Unless someone who knows the guy and knows he did it, rats him out, we may have to wait for another crime by him, and hope he makes a mistake there.

 

[Boots38]

Was bored today looking around the internet for connections to RM and anyone fitting the description of her killer that could be linked to her personally. I can't link it because of it being FB but there does seems to be a man liking RMs posts on her old FB account that fits the description very well (height, no visible tattoos, age, location, build) All my opinion of course!

 

[NextSprint]

I hate to say it but, in my opinion, that video is worthless in identifying the guy. You cannot see his face at all.
Perhaps genealogical DNA might turn up something.
Unless someone who knows the guy and knows he did it, rats him out, we may have to wait for another crime by him, and hope he makes a mistake there.

To someone nearby, those ears might be really obvious. IMO.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

To someone nearby, those ears might be really obvious. IMO.

Then I hope someone does recognize the ears and they call it in.

 

[PommyMommy]

County rep tells community in #fallston:10 detectives are working on the Rachel Morin homicide. Asked for everyone to continue sending in tips #wbal

https://twitter.com/x/status/1697382303675101531

 

[Knox]

I should also add that even though I saw their faces up close, there is zero chance I could have worked with a sketch artist. I think there is little chance I could have identified them even if they drove me by someone fitting the rough description even minutes later. I told the cops as much when they asked. I could confirm whether they fit the very rough description, but that's about all I would be confident about.

But this was partly intentional -- I quickly turned my back to them after handing over my purse partly to indicate "okay, you got what you wanted, we're done here", and partly so I *wouldn't* get a longer look at them than necessary. My self-preservation instincts told me that being a bad witness was in my best interest. Good witnesses risk being silenced.

So yeah, I am reading comments on the LAPD Facebook page from people expecting the victim to be able to at a minimum work with a sketch artist, but that is not my expectation at all.

Thanks for sharing your terrifying experience, makes complete sense to me!

 

[acutename]

I hate to say it but, in my opinion, that video is worthless in identifying the guy. You cannot see his face at all.
Perhaps genealogical DNA might turn up something.
Unless someone who knows the guy and knows he did it, rats him out, we may have to wait for another crime by him, and hope he makes a mistake there.

The video is bad but the number of guys who are about 5"9", 160, no visible tatoos, were in LA in March, not in LA in August, etc. is limited. problem is he may not have close associates OR his close associates if he has them, may know him as a "nice guy" who would not do such things... ala Abby and Libby's accused killer and Molly Tibbett's murderer who had a daughter himself