A Harford County Circuit Court judge is set to decide on Friday whether the trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, charged in the killing of Rachel Morin, will remain in Harford or be transferred to another jurisdiction.

The legal team representing Martinez-Hernandez made a motion for the change in venue earlier this month because his attorneys believe he would be unable to receive a fair trial in Harford County because the case is being used as a nationwide talking point on immigration policy.

Martinez-Hernandez is a native of El Salvador who authorities say illegally entered the United States in 2023. He is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree rape, third-degree sex offense and kidnapping in the August 2023 death of Morin, 37, on the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air.

Investigators used DNA evidence found on Morin at the scene and advanced DNA sequencing technology to identify relatives of Martinez-Hernandez in El Salvador, which eventually pointed them to him. He was arrested at a sports bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June and extradited to Maryland.

Morin’s death became a political talking point last year during Donald Trump’s campaign for president. He used Morin in campaign messaging that favored stricter immigration laws and border policy. Morin’s mother, Patty Morin, has been critical of former President Joe Biden’s border policies, and appeared with Trump at several campaign events. She also testified before Congress on numerous occasions on the topic.

Marcus X. Jenkins, Tara LeCompte and Sawyer Hicks, public defenders for Martinez-Hernandez, wrote in the filing for the venue change that their client “has been the subject of nationwide public hatred and vilification” after the case has been “the subject of numerous inflammatory and prejudicial reports in both legacy and social media.”

Because of the attention the case has received, the motion said the “defendant believes that an impartial jury cannot be empaneled in Harford County” and as a result, Martinez-Hernandez “cannot receive a fair trial in Harford County.”

Harford County States Attorney Allison Healy has said, and recent court filings have affirmed, that prosecutors will seek a life sentence for Martinez-Hernandez without the possibility of parole.

If Harford County Circuit Court Judge Yolanda Curtin rules the case should stay in Harford County, a jury trial is scheduled to begin April 1.

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