Rachel Morin case: Months of frustration give way to breakthrough ID of murder suspect arrested Friday

Family members sensed after months without progress that the Rachel Morin case began to turn last month as law enforcement narrowed a continental search for her killer to one man.

The investigation that started in August by the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air and extended into El Salvador ended Friday night in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, sports bar where 23-year-old Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was arrested, charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape in Morin’s death.

Matt McMahon, father of Morin’s eldest daughter, said a tip shared with law enforcement on Rachel’s birthday, May 20, was a major breakthrough.

“I don’t know who sent in the tip or what specifically motivated the tip,” McMahon said. “I just know that after that tip, it was pretty much game over for Victor at that point.”

Harford County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Cristie Hopkins said the tip was a “lead generated from the ongoing investigation.” McMahon said the tip led to Maryland State Police processing DNA that confirmed Martinez-Hernandez’s identity, although it is unclear when the man was last in Maryland or where he may have left evidence behind.

“I don’t know when he left town. Could have been last August or could have been last month,” McMahon said. “I just know that tip led to them being able to identify them.”

Martinez-Hernandez was arrested around 11:30 p.m. Friday and booked into the Tulsa County jail at 12:20 a.m. Saturday, according to the detention center’s records.

“The FBI, TPD Detectives and TPD patrol officers converged on a bar located at 21st and Garnett. Officers found the suspect casually sitting at the bar and placed him under arrest,” the Tulsa Police Department said. “Initially, the suspect lied about his true identity and denied any knowledge of the crimes.”

Tulsa Police also said Martinez-Hernandez is awaiting extradition to Maryland and has a court hearing Monday for an offense labeled “fugitive from justice.”

Rudolph Rice, an attorney representing Morin’s mother, Patricia, said it is unclear when Martinez-Hernandez will appear before a Harford judge, as he could consent to or contest extradition. He also has a detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the jail’s records.

“He is coming here, but it could take time. It depends on what he does in Tulsa. If he consents to the extradition, he could be here in weeks,” Rice said. “It depends on how much he fights it.”

Rice added the tipster has not come forward to claim a $35,000 reward in the case.

County State’s Attorney Alison Healey said at a news conference Saturday that extradition could take 10 to 60 days.

“Once the defendant has been transported back to Harford County, the prosecution will commence,” Healey said.

Harford Sheriff Jeff Gahler said Saturday that Martinez-Hernandez allegedly killed a young woman in his native El Salvador in January 2023 before entering the United States in February 2023. Gahler said that in March 2023, he broke into a home and attacked a girl and her mother in Los Angeles. Morin was reported missing Aug. 5, 2023.

McMahon said Harford detectives told him in the fall that “genetic genealogy” analysis determined the suspect was from El Salvador. Through regular communication with the sheriff’s office, he sensed in May that they were making “pretty good progress.”

Friday evening, detectives asked McMahon and his 18-year-old daughter, Faye, to their office.

“They had never called and asked for us to come in with so little notice, so I knew they had something. They let us know they clearly knew who he was,” McMahon said. “At that point, they only knew the general area he was in. They didn’t know the exact address.”

McMahon said detectives told him that if they did not find Martinez-Hernandez over the weekend, they would hold a news conference Tuesday to publicize his name and photo. McMahon went home Friday night and couldn’t sleep before receiving a call around 1:20 a.m. with news of the arrest.

“It is an extremely difficult thing to live through. You are almost losing your mind when you have no answers,” McMahon said. “Detectives keeping us in the loop really helped us hold on to our sanity.”