The illegal immigrant convicted killer of Maryland mom Rachel Morin was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was jogging along the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, a quaint community northeast of Baltimore, when Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 24, ambushed and beat her to death on Aug. 5, 2023.
On Monday, the illegal migrant was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, with an additional 40 years, for Morin's murder.
"Rachel Morin's presence was powerfully felt in the courtroom today as her children, siblings, and mother spoke from the heart," the Morin family's attorney, Randolph Rice, told Fox News Digital. "They shared their deep love for her, the irreplaceable void her absence has left in their lives, and their unwavering commitment to honor her memory by seeking justice today and protecting others from suffering the same fate."
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Morin's five children as well as her mother shared emotional victim impact statements prior to Martinez-Hernandez's sentencing.
"Before my mom was murdered, the world made sense to me. Life made sense to me," said Morin's daughter, Faye, FOX Baltimore reported. "Now my heart is broken. Victor [Martinez-Hernandez] is evil and changed my entire life for the worst. Now, I ask you to change his life for the worst."
Morin's mother, Patty, spoke in person, as well. Standing just feet from Martinez-Hernandez and in tears, according to the outlet, she questioned: "What person could commit such horrific crimes?"
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Harford County State's Attorney Alison Healey also revealed that 53 images of child porn were found on his computer, saying that "some were obvious [sic] infants and toddlers."
"The defendant is completely and entirely unamenable to treatment or rehabilitation," she said. "If he is released, our community is in grave danger ... It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when."
In a statement Monday, Acting ICE director Todd Lyons said that Morin "was stolen from her family by a reprehensible criminal alien who never should have been in this country in the first place."
"Our hearts are with the Morin family and all families of those who have lost a loved one to illegal alien crime. Because of them, we will never lose sight of our responsibility to protect and serve the American public."
Martinez-Hernandez, a migrant from El Salvador, fled Maryland after the killing. He was arrested in Oklahoma 10 months later, ending a nationwide manhunt. The family's attorney said that immigration was not a central topic at the Morin family kitchen table prior to 2023.
"Frankly, it was hard to see how illegal immigrants impacted their lives in small-town Bel Air, Maryland. But after Rachel was murdered… their perspective changed drastically," Rice said. "While feeling lost in the wake of their loss, the support from President Trump and his promise to close the Southern border brought some comfort."
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Authorities previously found that Martinez-Hernandez was wanted for killing another woman in his country. However, on Monday, Martinez-Hernandez's attorneys said that he had been acquitted last year on a murder charge in El Salvador.
"During the Biden-Harris Administration, the US Border Patrol missed multiple chances to detain him and prevent him from making his way to Rachel. Now, the Morins have a renewed sense of hope that under the current administration, there won't be more families victimized by illegal immigrant crime," Rice told Fox News Digital.
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Patty Morin has been vocal in calling her daughter's death preventable.
"Speaking with the Morin family as they prepared for the sentencing, I noticed a palpable sadness," Rice told Fox News Digital. "It's the same heaviness they felt in the weeks after Rachel's body was found in a storm drain off of her hometown walking trail two years ago."
"Back then, they were shocked and overwhelmed by the brutality of her rape and murder. Now, there is a different type of grief. They are grateful that her killer will die in prison, where he can't hurt anyone else. But for Rachel's mother in particular, there is a fear of Rachel's memory fading as this case wraps up in the justice system. Monday's sentencing hearing will be the Morin family's chance to share how this horrific crime has affected their lives and speak directly to the monster who took Rachel. They don't have much hope that he will understand the impact of his actions, but they appreciate any opportunity to share Rachel's legacy.
