Rachel Morin killer sentenced to life in prison without parole

Hernandez was given the maximum sentence for each count, including life without parole for first-degree murder, life for first-degree rape, and 40 years for a sex offense and kidnapping.

Published: August 11, 2025 3:20pm

The illegal migrant who killed Maryland mother Rachel Morin was sentenced on Monday to life in prison without the chance of parole for the woman's murder.

Victor Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty in April of killing, kidnapping and raping the 37-year-old Morin last year, who was a mother of five. Morin was killed while on a hiking trail in Maryland. Authorities arrested Hernandez last year, alleging that he entered the U.S. and continued a crime spree that began in El Salvador.

Hernandez was given the maximum sentence for each count, including life without parole for first-degree murder, life for first-degree rape, and 40 years for a sex offense and kidnapping, CBS News reported.

"Arguably, Harford County has never seen a case or a defendant more deserving of every single day of the maximum sentences this court imposed," Harford County State's Attorney Alison Healey told reporters after the sentencing.

Hernandez is expected to serve his sentence in Maryland and will not be deported back to his home country of El Salvador.

"There'll always be an empty void in our lives, and in the children's lives, but we do get some closure," Morin's half-sister, Erin Morin Layman, said after the sentencing. "So we can move on from this and know he's not gonna get out. Rachel's kids are not gonna have to cross paths with him ever again, and hopefully he can turn his life around."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage. 

The Facts Inside Our Reporter's Notebook

Just the News Spotlight

Support Just the News