Illegal accused in jogger Rachel Morin's murder set to face family, jury

Opening statements are set to begin Friday in the trial of an illegal immigrant charged with murdering Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five who was killed while jogging on a hiking trail.

Jury selection was completed on Wednesday, with 10 men, two women and six alternates chosen in the Harford County Circuit Court in Bel Air, Maryland. They will decide the fate of Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, a 23-year-old from El Salvador.

"We are pleased the state and defense were able to select twelve jurors who can be fair and impartial in determining whether Victor Martinez-Hernandez is guilty or not guilty of the charges against him," Morin's family attorney Randolph Rice, the managing partner of Rice Law in Baltimore, told Fox News Digital.

"Opening statements should identify the strength of the state's case and any defenses Martinez-Hernandez's lawyers plan to argue. The next weeks of testimony will be agonizing for the family, but their faith in God will strengthen them as they are now Rachel's voice for justice."

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Martinez-Hernandez is charged with the brutal rape and murder of Morin, whose body was discovered on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air in August 2023. The 37-year-old was found bashed in the head and strangled to death. The crime shocked the community and highlighted the then-Biden administration's failed border policies.

Rice said that the entirety of the trial is anticipated to last approximately two weeks.

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"The Morin family has long waited for this moment," Rice said. "This trial marks the beginning of the justice they’ve been seeking since the day Rachel was taken from them. They are prepared to face the difficult days ahead with strength and hope."

The Morin family plans to be in attendance throughout the proceedings.

Rachel Morin murder

Morin was reported missing in August 2023 by her boyfriend, who said she never returned after going out for a run on the Ma & Pa Trail, a pedestrian trail in Bel Air, a quiet and typically safe town about 28 miles northeast of Baltimore, Aug. 5, 2023.

Her body was found near the trail the next day.

In February, police released new sketches of Martinez-Hernandez.

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The sketches came after DNA evidence linked Martinez-Hernandez to the location of a Los Angeles home invasion. Police used the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which led them to a single DNA match for an unidentified Hispanic male.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) collected a hat left behind at the site of the March 2023 home invasion that turned violent, injuring a 9-year-old girl and her mother.

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The suspect allegedly broke into the home in the middle of the night and assaulted the family inside before he was chased out. Surveillance video footage captured the man leaving, shirtless, through the front door.

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"I'm going to make this short because I'm very emotional," Morin's mother, Patricia Morin, said previously. "I just want to take this time to thank all the law enforcement for all their hard work.

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"They just really cared for our family and for our daughter," she said. "They were going to diligently work and find the person who murdered her."

Martinez-Hernandez's court-appointed attorney Marcus Jenkins did not immediately return a request for comment.