'A mother's worst nightmare' | Opening statements delivered in Rachel Morin murder trial

HARFORD COUNTY, MD. (WBFF) — Opening statements and testimony in the trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, the man accused of raping and killing Rachel Morin, began on Friday morning.

People began to gather at the Harford County before 9:00 a.m. for the proceedings.

Martinez-Hernandez is accused of raping and killing Rachel Morin, a Harford County mother of five, whose body was discovered along a popular Bel Air walking trail back in 2023.

On Friday, the State's Attorney walked jurors through the case, calling it "a mother's worst nightmare."

She said Morin went to the Ma and Pa trail around 6:58 p.m. on August 5, 2023 and stopped responding to texts from family members shortly after.

Officials said that data from Morin's watch and phone show that sometime between 7:04 p.m. and 7:10 p.m., Morin was killed.

Authorities said her body was found in a storm drain after she had been brutally beaten.

The State's Attorney said during opening statements on Friday that officials were able to track down DNA from clothes and other belongings from family members that Martinez-Hernandez had lived with in Prince George's County.

Prosecutors say that that DNA matched what was found on Morin.

Martinez-Hernandez was later arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the prosecutions said that investigators found photos of Morin and web searches related to her and her death on his phone.

Officials say that Martinez-Hernandez claimed he was "never in Maryland."

Martinez-Hernandez's defense used opening statements to address the jury, and spent time talking to them about being fair and impartial.

They claimed that Martinez-Hernandez was not the man who committed the crime, and they even claimed that Morin had "attracted male attention."

The defense went on to question what the motive in the crime was, where the connection between Morin and Martinez-Hernandez lies, and asked about Morin's boyfriend, Richard Tobin, who had admitted to having sex with her on the day she died.

During testimony, Rachel Morin's daughter took the stand and cried while recounting the events of the day her mom went missing.

Tobin also took the stand, and said that when Morin had stopped responding to texts, he got worried, and proceeded to go over to her home, the trail, and nearby restaurants in search of her.

He said that he called 911 when he couldn't find her.

Tobin testifed that he talked with police officers on the night of Morin's death, and even went to the station.

He said that he "freaked out, screamed, and cried," when he found out Morin had died.

Tobin said that he provided authorities with his phone and DNA when he was asked.

Morin's family was amongst those in the packed courtroom today.

Several witnesses spoke before the court adjourned at 4:00 p.m., including Morin's older daughter, a sheriff deputy, and the man who found Morin on the trail, Evan Knapp.

Knapp, a community member helping out in the search, said he located what appeared to be a smaller "deer path" off the main trial. He followed it, and found a rock covered in blood.

He said after spotting the rock, he made his way near the tunnel (storm drain) which was covered by brush and thorn bushes. That's when he spotted Morin's body.

He went on to say that when he saw the body he "froze" and was in "shock." He also said he couldn't make out her face because the injuries "looked bad." He and the friend he was with then notified investigators.

He said he then went back out to the main trail where he spotted more blood. He described the blood spots he saw elsewhere on the leaves and trail, as if they were "flicked" by a toothbrush.

Court adjourned Friday just after 4:00 p.m. and will resume on Monday morning.