Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - TRAIL-MOM RACHEL MORIN'S BLUDGEON-KILLER BUSTED: MOM BREAKS SILENCE

Episode Date: June 20, 2024

Emotions are running high for the loved ones of Rachel Morin after police locate and arrest Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez. The suspect in Rachel Morin's brutal murder is found casually sitting in a Tulsa, Oklahoma bar. During the arrest, Hernandez initially lies to authorities about his true identity and denies any knowledge of the attack on a 9-year-old little girl in Los Angeles and the murder of Morin.  The Morin family and investigators strongly believe that the two known crimes are not the only ones Victor Hernandez committed while in the U.S. The attack on a little girl and her mother in L.A. came just two months after Hernandez allegedly murdered a woman in his native El Salvador. Rachel Morin’s body was found nearly five months later, and another 10 months passed before Hernandez’s arrest. More than a year of Hernandez’s time in the U.S. is still unaccounted for. While there is a sense of closure, Morin’s sister, Rebekah, says it also feels like "day one all over again." Matt McMahon, the father of Morin’s eldest daughter, says the Ma and Pa trail feels like it ‘belongs to Rachel again,’ and is even more grateful for the arrest as their daughter, Faye, is now expecting her own little girl later this year. McMahon describes the news as bittersweet, knowing how excited Rachel Morin would be to learn she was going to be a grandmother.  Joining Nancy Grace today: Patty Morin - Rachel Morin’s Mother Randolph Rice - Morin Family Attorney - Rice, Murtha & Psoras, LLCPH Website: https://RiceLawMd.com  Dr. Bethany Marshall – Psychoanalyst (Beverly Hills); X: @DrBethanyLive/ Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall; Appearing in “Paris in Love” on Peacock; BOOK: “Deal Breaker: When to work on a relationship and when to walk away” Chris McDonough – Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective; Host of YouTube channel: “The Interview Room” Vincent Hill – Anchor/Reporter for FOX 45 in Baltimore, Former Police Officer and Private Investigator; Author: “Playbook to A Murder;” X & IG: @VincentHillTV See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Trail mom Rachel Morin's bludgeoned killer busted. And with us tonight, Rachel's mother breaks her silence. Good evening. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. Trail mom Rachel Morin's killer caught in a Tulsa bar. The suspect, Victor Hernandez, on the run from his native El Salvador for yet another murder. Today, Rachel Morin's mom speaks out. You know, everywhere I look, I see him. I see him everywhere I look.

Why do I have to keep seeing him? I want to see Rachel Morin. Beautiful on the inside, beautiful on the outside. No question about that. But in my mind, more important than her striking beauty, she is the mother of five, the mother of five children. And before that, she was a daughter to a wonderful mom, Patty Morin. Ms. Morin, thank you for being with us.

Thank you for having me. The big news across every banner is that Rachel's killer has been caught. But there's so much more to this story. Ms. Morin, how did you learn that Rachel's killer had been caught? Because this was a manhunt like no other, crossing borders all the way to El Salvador. Actually, the sheriff department reached out to our family and had set up a meeting in their office to let us know that they had identified the suspect and that they were in the process of trying to locate him. So at the time, we weren't allowed to say anything. They showed us a picture of him and then we were expecting

that it would still take some time. But miraculously, within hours after they informed us, they were able to locate him and apprehend him. Looking at this guy, he looks like somebody you might pass on the way to the subway or at the grocery store. Little did everyone know this guy with the big smile laid in wait to catch Rachel, mother of five, as she walked around the bend of the Ma and Pa Trail there near Bel Air, Maryland. As you can see, the bend in the trail gives him perfect cover. He's like a hyena waiting at the water pool, waiting for the beautiful gazelle to come by and then pounce, just waiting. Rachel had no idea what would befall her that day. Tracking this guy, this guy, Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, was no easy thing. Listen, if he's come onto the radar through Haida, that means they may have already had pre incident contact with this guy on other types of crimes, i.e.

narcotics investigations or something to that effect. The fact that the sheriff mentioned them the other day as a partner who assisted in this case, that threw me a red flag that, OK, this guy had been in this country. And now that big question is, what was he doing? Was he running dope? You know, was he working for somebody? And maybe this is what gave him the availability to travel around the United States and how he ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Joining me in addition to Rachel's mother, Patty, is renowned psychoanalyst Dr. Bethany Marshall joining us from L.A. Dr. Bethany, I've tried so many cases where the victim was involved in wrongdoing. I've tried a lot of drug cases that turned into homicide cases. But there are those singular cases. There are those cases that strike me where it's such a dichotomy of good versus evil. You have Rachel Morin, young, beautiful, happy, a fantastic mother. And you know how I feel, Bethany, there is no greater compliment to me than someone saying, you know what, you're really, you're really a good mom. She devoted herself to five children. You got her and you got this guy just trucking along. Martinez Hernandez already killed one person in El Salvador, sneaks over here somewhere in the timeline.

He sex assaults a nine year old little girl. And I'm telling you, Bethany, Dr. Bethany, there are more victims. Be they in Virginia, in California, in Tulsa, where he was apprehended. I'm not sure, but I do know this. These are not his only victims. The dichotomy I'm talking about, you've got Rachel Morin, just beautiful, just beloved by her family, her mother, who is with us today. And you got this guy. And it makes me wonder this age old question. Why do our very best people fall victim to people like Hernandez?

Yes, good and evil. It's right there. And what I really am struck by in this case is that this perpetrator is what I would call polyperverse. And so this makes this guy very, very dangerous. And the other thing, Nancy, that strikes me is the enormous amount of energy that goes into these crimes. This guy is not just, you know, in one town or one village and, you know, just sneaking out at night and killing or raping somebody. This guy is traveling all over the world. So if he hadn't been caught, we could have had a total killing spree. Well, I don't know what you mean by could have had a total killing spree. I've got a victim in El Salvador dead. Rachel Morin is dead. A nine-year-old girl has been raped. And I guarantee you there are more dead bodies in his wake.

The reason this guy has been caught before he could kill again is because of Rachel Morin. the publicity and the intent, the iron will her mother had to see this thing through. I don't know how many more victims there would be. So I do know who and what Rachel Morin is. She is the lady that moms want their girls to grow up and be. That's who Rachel Morin is. Who is this guy? Listen. Five hours after meeting with the family

and just before midnight our time, police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, assisted by our federal partners, located and arrested Rachel's murderer, Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez. So far, we have learned that the suspect, now pictured on the screens, is a 23-year-old citizen of El Salvador who illegally crossed the border into the United States in February of 2023. Ms. Morin, could you tell our listeners who is Rachel against the backdrop of who is this guy, Hernandez?

Well, Rachel from birth on has been this little spark, like a little fireball. I remember her being like 14, 15 months old, and she's very petite, fair skin, bright orange hair. And she just loved life. She loved learning new things. Everything excited her. The excitement was in learning. But also, she was very sensitive. She cared about people. She cared about people's feelings. She was very compassionate. She grew up to be just a wonderful woman. Balanced.

I loved her because she has a strong sense of herself and she didn't have a problem disagreeing with mom because mom's a little older and more traditional than she was but that's what made her who she was she knew who she was she loved her children she devoted herself to her children she was a hard worker

Ms. Moran, can you tell me about Rachel's children and how they have been responding to mommy being gone? Yes. In the beginning, they lived in denial. They couldn't understand why she was gone. They couldn't understand why she couldn't come back. She has an autistic daughter who's high on the spectrum. And her daughter just kept saying, I just want my friend back. And she couldn't understand that she couldn't come back to her. I know that they've been getting counseling and help in processing this, but I think that it's going to be a long time because they're still so young. And so at different points in their growth and in their maturity, they're going to come back to this and kind of reprocess it. So I think this is going to be a long-term thing for her children.

Patty, how old is her youngest? Eight years old. There are five of them. Have they been kept together or did they have to be separated? There's five. They're all separated. Her oldest daughter has been living with her fiance for the past two years or so and they're actually expecting their first baby so Rachel's missing the birth of her first granddaughter um then two of her children the next two in age are with their father which is about an hour away from the rest of the family. And then the youngest live in the area. So they live with their fathers in separate places, but they do try

to come together a couple of times a month to hang out for a weekend and to be with each other. But it's very, very disheartening to have such a broken up family. You know, until I had the twins, I, you know, I would hear people talk about the best thing that ever happened to them was having a grandchild and being there. The significance of being there when the grandchild came. Of course, my children have just turned 16. But the thought that I wouldn't be there to help my daughter when she has a baby or to help my son, it's devastating. The most important thing that happens to them in their life, and she's not going to be there. And that child is not going to have her. And when I think about this woman, when I think about Rachel Moore, and I was first, when I heard about her murder, I was just struck by her incredible physical beauty. But the more I learned about her, she was completely devoted to those children. And who is

he? Listen. Victor Hernandez did not come here to make a better life for himself or for his family. He came here to escape the crime he committed in El Salvador. He came here and murdered Rachel and God willing, no one else. But that should have never been allowed to happen. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Rachel Morin's mother speaking out. Patty Morin, along with her lawyer, also joining us, Randolph Rice, who is the family lawyer, I might add. Vincent Hill joining me in addition to Dr. Bethany Marshall. Vincent Hill, investigative reporter, Fox 45 in Baltimore and former police officer in Private Eye. He's the author of Playbook to a Murderer.

Vincent, thank you for joining us. I want to try and explain, but you're very familiar with the path, how this guy, a predator, already murdered one woman back in El Salvador, already attacked a mother and a nine-year-old little girl, how he is waiting along this trail. And this is not a trail where nobody can say, you know, Vincent, how people love to say, oh, I would never have gone walking on that trail by myself or everybody feels in the blank right there. It drives me crazy. So they can differentiate themselves from a violent crime victim because it makes you feel safe. That's not going to happen to you. But this trail, Ma and Pa Trail, it's a family trail. Families are on it all the time. If you look past those trees, there's an apartment complex and people access it all the time.

And I just want to point out, there is no way to insinuate that Rachel Morin in any way was acting negligently or recklessly. I want to dispel that myth because I've heard it. It's not true. Yeah, that's right, Nancy. I mean, if Rachel had any inkling that something would have been on that trail, given her size, given the fact that she was alone, she wouldn't have been there. But on that particular day, I'm sure there were hundreds of people out because the weather was nice. This guy was lying in wait. He had been to that trail. He had maybe even seen Rachel before because we know that he had been in Maryland for quite some time before he did what he did. So Rachel was just going about her day.

And unfortunately, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And she came across Victor Martinez, which ended her life. You know, Vincent, I want to address something that you just said. Of course, everything you said as usual is accurate. But you said, and I think it's because Rachel's mother is with us. You said he, and you paused, did what he did. I've had to look juries in the face, little old ladies sitting on the jury, and tell them what happened. Rachel's mother knows what happened.

You think I want to hurt her we have to be blunt what he did he did what he did you said after a long pause he stalked her he saw her he bludgeoned her he beat in her face and he raped her and he left her on that trail naked.

He stole this mother from her children in the most brutal fashion, like an animal. That is what he did. And there's no way to sugarcoat it. There's no way to airbrush it or massage it into something else. And because of Rachel, we know who he is. And he is behind bars. This is what happened. Listen.

There was a bend in the trail that most likely was used by the individual who attacked Rachel on the trail, pulled her through the wooded area into this drainage culvert where she ultimately lost her life. DNA evidence was collected by our forensic services unit. That DNA was analyzed by the Maryland State Police and it was ran through the National CODIS system. DNA evidence is, I mean, this DNA evidence has come back as a match tied to a home invasion and an assault of a young girl in Los Angeles this past March. Unfortunately, that suspect has not been positively identified, but he did leave behind his DNA. That was then. This is now. We got him due to an extensive manhunt and incredible work by lab scientists in genetic genealogy, cutting edge DNA. We have Hernandez. I want to go to our special guest, Patty Morin. This is Rachel's mother. Ms. Morin.

Yes. I'm so sorry what you've lived through, but I know you're going to be front and center when this goes to trial. How many times have you let yourself live through what Rachel experienced? It's an everyday thing. Sad to say it. I know part of grieving is you have to face the facts and you have to process them. And until they apprehended the suspect, it was easy to kind of live in denial a little bit. But now that they have a suspect, it makes all the facts true.

And you have to face the truth and accept it. And so you have to rethink what you've been told and process those thoughts and put a timeline to it. And it's very, it's, it's like, it's so painful and grieving to think what my daughter experienced and that there was no one there to help her. You know, as moms, we want to protect our children and

have something so unexpected happen. And for us, just not to be there, not able to help. It's been a very... It's just been very hard.

And when the court hearings do begin, it's my plan to be there because I wasn't there to protect her or to help her. But I want to be there after the fact, I guess, to make sure that absolutely everything is done for her and that nothing is left undone. Sorry. Randolph, I'm so glad you're there with Ms. Morin. I'm just so glad you're there, Randolph Rice, high-profile lawyer that's working with the Morin family. Just let me go to Chris McDonough.

He is the director of the Cold Case Foundation. He has been working on this case and investigating on his own as we all have been. Former homicide detective with no less than 300 homicide investigations under his belt. I found him on YouTube on the interview room during the Koberger investigation and was struck by his knowledge, his intimate familiarity with not only that case, but the workings of a courtroom. And Chris McDonough, I don't know if you ever let yourself think about the suffering of the victims that you and I have represented our whole careers, if you can call what we do a career. But Chris, I'm listening to Ms. Moran, and I have never been quite as brave as she is being today, because when I think about my fiance's murder, what happened in those moments that he was killed, I stop myself because to this

day, it gives me an intense headache, a horrible headache when I start reliving what I think happened. Crime victims never get away from it. And I can't, now that I've got children, I can't imagine what a parent goes through. You heard Rachel's mom describing, you can't be there for your child, your baby. You can't help them. It's excruciating. How do you separate yourself from that, Chris? You know, I lost a child in 2003. And I don't think anybody quite understands, like Nancy's explaining about the death of her fiance, what depth of pain you can get to. But here's the other good news. You can get through it. And you can empower yourself that her life makes a difference to perhaps somebody else's family, that this never happens

again to anybody else that they have to experience what you're experiencing. So it does, you will be able to get through it. And, you know, I know that Nancy's giving you an amazing platform here to tell the nation, you know, how you're going to do that. And I commend you for saying what you've said even this morning. I will personally be leading the prosecution of this case. While the defendant is innocent until and unless he is proven guilty, Harford County and our neighboring communities can rest assured that my office will take all steps necessary to ensure that justice is served for Rachel Morin and her family. Thank heaven there is a prosecutor with some backbone that will go after this case. But the case isn't done. The case is still being built. Listen.

We're still looking for information. He was in this area for at least some period of time. And when I say the area, he was in the Bel Air area for some period of time before or right after the homicide or both. So if people still have information and now that there's a name to put with the face, investigators still want to talk to you. We still want to know. We still want to build that timeline because there is a case to prosecute.

We want to put all the pieces together so that Ms. Healy can do her job most successfully and, again, ensure this guy never sees the light of day. And in that vein, since the case is still being built, here's the tip line. Toll free, 888-540-8477. Repeat 888-540-8477. This case has got to be fleshed out. There's got to be more than DNA to present to a jury. Eyewitnesses, someone that knew him before leading up to the murder of this mother of five. Where did he go when he left that trail? What did he do with his clothing?

Where did he wash his clothes? Where was he living? These and other facts are very, very important. Did he have scratches to his face, his neck, his arms? What can we find out? We've all seen cases that are strictly DNA cases that have been eviscerated by a good defense attorney. That cannot happen in this case. That cannot happen in this case. I want to go to a special guest joining us in addition to Rachel's mother. It's Randolph Rice, high profile lawyer who is helping the Morin family through this. Randolph, thank you for being with us. You know, I tried a drug lord, and the night he was arrested, I'll never forget it. He was wearing, a la Michael Jackson, a bright red leather jacket and matching pants, the highest Italian leather. He was wearing a

red shirt underneath it, and he was wearing red. They had to be $500 tennis shoes. Okay. And a red hat, of course. That said, guess what he wore? Of course he made bond because he had millions of dollars, drug money. But guess what he wore day one to the trial. Just guess. Same outfit. Yes, same thing. And that is what one of the witnesses had described, a red jacket, a red leather jacket. What I'm saying is not just about the hat Randolph Rice. It's the fingerprint nature of the crimes, the similarities. In both cases, he lie in wait for the right moment. In both cases, he attacked a female. In both cases, he's wearing the same thing. In both cases, there was physical brutality. In both cases, he makes off casually. He walked out of that house like he owned it. And I guarantee you, he did the same

thing in Rachel's murder. The similarities of these cases, and there's going to be more. I just wonder if the case in El Salvador is as similar as that can be brought in at trial as a similar transaction. I mean, if we're going to go Randolph Rice, let's go all the way. That's right. Yeah. No, you're right. And as a former prosecutor and back in the day when I had a little less gray hair, I remember prepping for these types of cases. And you're right. You have got to put together a timeline of where he was leading up to this and where he was after, because there could be patterns, there could be similarities. Going to this and where he was after because there could be patterns there could be similarities going to this sort of idea we've talked about this with patty and the family you know this gentleman when he gets back to maryland they're going to take him before a judge

they're going to have a bond hearing we know he obviously is not going to be released so he'll be held pending trial and then it starts with the scheduling conferences as to when they're going to have motions hearings and when they're going to have trial dates. And I'm sure there'll be continuous postponements because, you know, he'll probably want to he want to push this thing out to try to figure out some other way out of this. But he's obviously behind bars. But there's two options that he's going to have to make a decision that's going to make this case very different in both those decisions. One is he can take a plea if the state offers one to him. That will make this very quick. I think it will make it a lot less painful, I hope, you know, because it won't be dragged out for the family. But the other option is, is that he can elect to have a trial, either before a judge or before a jury. And that, in those scenarios, a trial, either before a judge or before a jury.

And in those scenarios, that prosecutor, Allison Healy, and I've known Allison for a very, very long time since I started practicing law. She is going to be ready. She's going to be prepared. Here's a great thing about Harford County. And I say this as an advantage. They probably have about six or seven homicides a year. Now, you would think, oh, that's not a lot. And that's a good thing in this situation because it allows them to focus, laser focus on each case and give it the attention it deserves. And I guarantee you, they're going to be laser focused with a team. They have an amazing

team. They've assembled from various jurisdictions when they built this prosecutor's office when Allison was elected. So they're going to have a laser team ready to go after this suspect. But they're going to have to put together a timeline as to what happened before and after. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Ms. Warren, we keep saying the case is just starting, and it is, because trial preparation is just as intense as an investigation and tracking down a killer. I'm just wondering how you're getting through each day. How do you put your head on the pillow? How do you make yourself fall asleep?

When you wake up in the morning, what makes you get out of bed? Actually, I haven't really slept at all in the last 10 months. Because you just, you think about Rachel's life, you think about all the details before she was murdered, and you think, is there any little detail that I missed that could help in some way? And so up until the suspect was apprehended, that's the way my days were, like literally day and night. Is there anything that I missed in her life that could have been helpful in finding the suspect? And now that they have apprehended him, there is now a sense of relief where before, to be honest, I was afraid to go to sleep at night. Not that I look like my daughter in any way, but I was just, as a woman, I just felt afraid. And I know our community did as well, especially the women. And so we feel the sigh of relief, but now it's still feeling exhausted and thinking, what more can I do to help my daughter

on this side of the investigation? Is there anything that law enforcement might need from me that would be of help? But I think the most important thing is just letting people know that if you've seen this person, have any interaction with him in any way over the past year to contact our local law enforcement, the sheriff department, so that they can put those last couple of puzzle pieces together to make this a very solid and concise case. I'm sure that it's very well put together now. I just don't want anything left undone. I hope that answers your question. It does. It does. Chris McDonough joining me, veteran law enforcement. I'm thinking about what Patty,

Rachel Morin's mom, is just saying. I know there are going to be other crimes to connect him to, but I want to focus right now on the prosecution in the Rachel Morin murder. And we need to fill in all the blanks leading up to and after the time of Rachel's murder and attack. The best way, of course, is DNA. And his DNA has already been entered into the National DNA Data Bank. But there is also the fingerprint data bank where he may not have left DNA or the DNA may not have been preserved. a burglary that turned into an aggravated assault or rape, a fingerprint on a car, a fingerprint anywhere that I can connect him to a crime and also a digital fingerprint. Okay. This guy is, as we say now, a migrant. That's what we're saying. Nobody is saying illegal alien, apparently. So we're not

going to track him through his credit card or his social security number. That's not happening. But I guarantee you this. I guarantee you he had a top of the line iPhone or android. Okay, this guy is involved with a gang. He is in a gang. Notorious for crime. I'm sure you prosecuted gang cases. I did. They're like a pack of animals. Human life means nothing to them and I guarantee you he was tricked out with the best phone to keep in touch with his gang buddies. All right. That's a way to trace him where he has been, what he has been doing. Yes. No. You are 100 percent right, Nancy, that if this guy, you know, we first of all, we have some good information here. Number one, that he committed this ferocious crime in El Salvador. And then at some point, he must have crossed into this country.

The question is, how many times? And did they ever have contact with him? And if so, how does he make it to L.A.? And that gang connection that you're talking about is probably the most logical connection to this thing, because that neighborhood where that first attack occurred is in the 77th Division of LAPD. That is one rough neighborhood, let me tell you. I've been there, and we've served many search warrants there. And so how does he blend into that circumstance? And that gang affiliation is probably the most likely that would make him a chameleon within that environment and why he was hidden for as long as he has while on the run.

Trail mom Rachel Morin's killer caught in a Tulsa bar. The suspect, Victor Hernandez, on the run from his native El Salvador for yet another murder. Today, Rachel Morin's mom speaks out. Now we are learning, according to those inside the investigation, that this guy Hernandez has crossed the border at least three times in the last two months. Okay, when you walk through the park and you see a little squirrel or rabbit run across your path, is your instinct to pounce upon it, grab it, and bite its throat out. No, your instinct may be to pet it or try to throw it a treat. This guy is not like you. This guy's instinct is to attack. He's crossed the border three times, that I know of, in two months. He's been from Tulsa to LA to Bel Air, Maryland and everywhere

in between. You want to tell me he could fight his impulse to attack? No way. Joining me is a very special guest. Patty Morin is with us, Rachel's mother. Ms. Morin, you are speaking to thousands and thousands of parents who are suffering. And I want you, as best as you can, to explain what you do when you feel overwhelmed by the loss of your girl. Honestly, I cry. I cry and I pray. I know that different people have different religious affiliations, but I believe in the Lord. And I believe that God has a plan and a purpose,

even if we don't understand it. And I believe that God is good and that he loves me. And so when things are very hard, I go to the, I go to the rock. I ease my solace. And I just pray and pour my heart out to him. And he comforts me. But then I also have a close group of friends that have been such a support these last few months. Praying for our family. Giving encouraging words. Mr. Rice, what an awesome man he is. He's so good and so kind and so generous. Just really very good, supportive people. And so I would encourage anyone that's feeling pain from a loss to get counseling,

to have a support group, a group of friends, maybe grief share, and just to keep your friends close and don't be afraid to feel your feelings and to process them. Because you don't want to be stuck. And it's healthy, even though it's very, very painful. It's healthy to process them. And I want to make sure that I'm healthy for my family. So I'm willing to feel the pain now so that I'm not stuck and not moving forward for my grandchildren. You know, Patty, your words are incredible and they're not prepared. They're not rehearsed. They are from the heart. And when you say you pray, please know there are

thousands and thousands of people praying with you and for you and for Rachel and her family. Please know that. Everyone, if you have any information now, our site set on the trial, any information at all that you know or think you know about the perpetrator Hernandez. 888-540-8477. Repeat toll free 888-540-8477. Nancy Grace signing off.

Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.