Matthew McMahon, the father of the eldest child of murder victim Rachel Morin, pleaded guilty to eight counts of child pornography possession Wednesday morning in Harford County District Court.

McMahon, 51, of Bel Air, will serve one year in jail for the charges, which date back to last fall.

Police began investigating McMahon’s connection to child pornography Sept. 17 when conducting a search of a website often used for sharing videos. Police noticed 59 files downloaded by McMahon “meeting the criteria for child pornography in Maryland,” according to charging documents.

Erin Morin-Layman, left, half sister of Rachel Morin, and Matt McMahon, father or Morin's oldest daughter, react to Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez being found guilty of raping and murdering Morin on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in August 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Erin Morin-Layman, left, half sister of Rachel Morin, and Matt McMahon, father of Morin’s oldest daughter, react in April 2025 to Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez being found guilty of raping and murdering Morin on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in August 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)

Police identified McMahon as a suspect of interest after filing a subpoena with Comcast. A search warrant was executed at McMahon’s Bel Air residence Dec. 2. Police observed more than 60 files of child sex abuse material on McMahon’s computer in his bedroom, charging documents say.

“Each time these files are shared and shown, the [victims] in these videos get revictimized,” said Christina Cuomo, who represented the state at the plea hearing.

McMahon was a prominent figure in the trial of the killer of Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old Bel Air mother of five who was murdered on the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail in 2023. McMahon is the father of Morin’s eldest daughter, who is now an adult, and was a vocal advocate for all of Morin’s children during and after the trial.

 

He was the face of a lawsuit launched by Morin’s children against Morin’s mother, Patricia Morin, over money raised for the children through fundraisers after Rachel Morin’s death. The lawsuit ultimately reached an undisclosed settlement in September.

According to charging documents, videos and photos recovered from McMahon’s computer showed girls believed to be as young as 5 engaging in sexual acts with adult men, posing for images fully nude and more.

McMahon, who was held without bail in the Harford County Detention Center, appeared in the standard dark gray and faded white stripes in district court Wednesday. He initially faced 10 counts of child pornography charges, but two were ultimately not prosecuted.

McMahon took a binding plea — a plea where the state, court and defense agree to a sentence — in front of Judge Kerwin A. Miller for a guilty verdict on eight counts. The maximum penalty for possession of child pornography is five years.

McMahon’s sentence was five years, suspending all but one year for one count of child pornography possession. For the seven other counts, the sentence was five years, suspending all five years. McMahon has 44 days credit since he was arrested on Dec. 2.

McMahon must register for 15 years as a Tier I sex offender, which is the least severe classification. He must also not reside, work or be in contact with any minors.

Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Hubbard contributed to this story.

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