Rachel Morin case: Suspect signed waiver authorizing extradition back to Maryland for prosecution
The suspect in the killing of Rachel Morin signed a waiver Monday authorizing Harford County law enforcement to extradite him from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was arrested Friday, to Maryland for prosecution. The extradition can take up to 10 days.
Once Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez — a 23-year-old from El Salvador who entered the United States illegally last year, according to county sheriff Jeffrey Gahler — is in Harford County, prosecution will begin.
During a news conference Saturday, Harford County State’s Attorney Allison Healy said she will be leading the prosecution against Martinez-Hernandez.
The Tulsa County Clerk of the Court confirmed Monday that Martinez-Hernandez can either appoint an attorney or he will have one appointed to him. As of Monday, information on Martinez-Hernandez’s legal council is not available, according to the court.
He is currently being held without bond in a Tulsa County jail and accused of being a fugitive from justice, along with a hold from Maryland to face charges in Morin’s homicide and a detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape in Morin’s death after his DNA was found at the scene, according to officials.
Morin’s boyfriend reported the 37-year-old mother of five missing Aug. 5, when she did not return home from a walk. Morin’s body was found the following day.
Her death quickly drew national attention as detectives worked to identify a possible suspect and motive.
Police launched a homicide investigation that connected the DNA found at the scene of Morin’s death to an investigation in Los Angeles, where an unidentified man attacked a 9-year-old and her mother in a home invasion.
Canvassing efforts, information fliers and events to support Morin’s family were held, and a reward for tips leading to an arrest reached $35,000 in February.
Gahler said detectives uncovered a lead on Morin’s birthday, May 20, that identified Martinez-Hernandez as a suspect.
FBI Special Agent in Charge William DelBagno, of the Baltimore field office, said DNA was used to trace potential relatives of Martinez-Hernandez in El Salvador. Detectives traveled to El Salvador to further the investigation, which helped identify and find him.
Gahler stated that through collaboration with FBI personnel working in El Salvador, investigators discovered that Martinez-Hernandez allegedly murdered a young woman in El Salvador in January 2023 — one month before entering the United States.
The homicide in El Salvador — and what investigators said was Martinez-Hernandez’s connection to Salvadoran street gangs — led to an Interpol “Red Notice,” an international request for law enforcement to locate and detain an individual, being issued.
Martinez-Hernandez was located at a sports bar in Tulsa on Friday night, where he was taken into custody and charged.
Tulsa County Police Director of Communications Katie Keleher stated Monday that Martinez-Hernanded is not facing any local charges in Tulsa County and that he is scheduled for a bail review hearing in Harford County on July 1.
The Harford County State’s Attorney Chief of Administration Caylin Ryden said the state will argue that Martinez-Hernandez be held without bond. Ryden also stated that the case will be submitted to a grand jury “as quickly as possible” for indictment.
Once Martinez-Herndandez’s extradition is complete, the charging documents pertaining to the case will be made public.
This story will be updated.