A man who’s accused of killing Rachel Morin after she went out for a walk on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air is asking a judge to move his case out of Harford County, alleging that he cannot receive a fair trial.

In a motion for change of venue filed on Monday, Victor Martinez-Hernandez’s attorneys wrote that the case has been the subject of “numerous inflammatory and prejudicial reports in both legacy and social media.”

“Public reaction to these reports has been uniformly derogatory against the Defendant, the numerous comments which accompany media reports, indicate that the Defendant has been the subject of nationwide public hatred and vilification, notwithstanding that no trial has yet occurred,” Assistant Public Defenders Marcus Jenkins, Sawyer Hicks and Tara LeCompte said.

They said an impartial jury cannot be empaneled in Harford County; as a result, Martinez-Hernandez cannot receive a fair trial.

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Read previous coverage of the case against Victor Martinez-Hernandez

A motion hearing is scheduled for Jan. 31 in Harford County Circuit Court.

In an email, Caylin Ryden, chief of administration for the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office, said it cannot comment because the case is pending.

Martinez-Hernandez, 24, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree rape, third-degree sex offense and kidnapping in the killing. He’s being held in the Harford County Detention Center without bail.

On Aug. 5, 2023, Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five who ran a housecleaning business, went missing. Her body was discovered the next day.

Patty Morin holds a photo of her daughter, Rachel Morin, in February 2024. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)

More than 10 months later, the FBI and Tulsa Police arrested Martinez-Hernandez in her death.

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The case has received national attention.

Morin’s mother, Patty, campaigned with President-elect Donald Trump and testified in front of Congress. Meanwhile, Morin’s brother, Michael, spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection caught Martinez-Hernandez three times in 2023 after he illegally crossed the border. He then reentered the United States again.

Martinez-Hernandez is accused of killing a different woman in El Salvador. He’s also a suspect in a Los Angeles home invasion and assault.

The Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed a notice of its intention to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole.