Friends and family of Rachel Morin filled a Harford Circuit Courtroom Friday morning when opening statements in the trial of her suspected killer, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 24, of El Salvador, began. Martinez-Hernandez is charged with rape and murder in the August 2023 killing of Morin, 37, a Bel Air mother of five.

On Friday Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healy called the case a “mother’s worst nightmare,” outlining in detail the gruesome Bel Air murder scene that included a 150-foot blood trail to Morin’s unclothed, lifeless body in a drainage culvert under Route 24 just off of the Ma & Pa Trail. Healy told jurors that blood covered the walls of the culvert where Morin was “left to die in a puddle of water.”

During Healy’s statement, Morin’s mother, Patricia Morin, fought back tears, curling her lips, lifting her chin and exhaling.

On the other side of the aisle, Defense attorney Sawyer Hicks said he believes there will be gaps and holes in the state’s case that do not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Martinez-Hernandez committed the killing. Hicks said a smashed cellphone and Apple Watch belonging to Morin that were found at the scene were a sign that her death was a “crime of passion” and was committed by someone she knew, looking to cover up their connection. He spoke about Morin’s relationship with her boyfriend and asked “where is his DNA?”

Earlier this week Martinez-Hernandez entered a plea of not guilty to charges that include first-degree rape and first-degree murder. Authorities have said that Martinez-Hernandez entered the United States illegally in 2023, after having been accused of murdering a woman in El Salvador. He is also accused of assaulting a mother and daughter during a home invasion in Los Angeles.

Despite the emphasis placed on immigration in this case, experts say Martinez-Hernandez’s prior allegations and illegal entry into the U.S. will probably not be spoken about during his trial.

This story will be updated.

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