The man suspected of raping and killing Rachel Morin on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in August 2023 said, “I will not testify” when asked Monday morning in packed Harford County courtroom.

Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, a Salvadorian native who illegally entered the United States in 2023, is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree murder and other charges relating to the death of the 37-year-old Bel Air mother of five who was reported missing by her boyfriend on Aug. 5, 2023, hours after she went for a walk.

This is the ninth day of his trial.

Prosecutors rested their case last week following eight days of testimony. The defense team began making its case Monday morning.

A verdict could come later today.

Morin’s death and Martinez-Hernandez’s arrest gained national attention and became a political talking point for President Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Morin’s family was invited to the Republican National Convention last year. Patricia Morin, Rachel Morin’s mother, even testified before Congress about illegal immigration.

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