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Video shows arrest of suspect in Maryland mom Rachel Morin’s murder
BALTIMORE — WJZ obtained video from the night police in Oklahoma arrested Victor Martinez Hernandez, the man charged in the murder of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five.
Martinez Hernandez was taken into custody in June at a bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 10 months after Morin was found murdered off the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County.
The video shows Martinez Hernandez being escorted out of the bar, put in handcuffs and into the patrol car.
He was later extradited to Maryland where he is facing charges of first and second-degree murder, rape, sex offense and kidnapping.
Investigators said they were tipped off that the Martinez Hernandez was in the Tulsa area after he fled Maryland.
Martinez Hernandez is being held in prison without bail and will stand trial on October 23.
What the video shows
The video starts inside a bar on a late Friday night in Tulsa when police and FBI agents approached Martinez Hernandez sitting at a bar.
At first, Martinez Hernandez denied his crimes.
Officers walked him outside and then asked to see his identification.
But Martinez Hernandez told the officers he didn’t have an ID and provided a fake name.
Moments later, Martinez Hernandez was placed in handcuffs and into the patrol car after officers uncovered his real identity.
A year has passed
Morin went for a jog on the Harford County trail on August 5, 2023, and was reported missing later that evening.
CBS News Baltimore
Her car was located at the trailhead and her body was found raped and murdered on August 6 about 60 to 70 feet off the trail, law enforcement officers said.
Martinez Hernandez had been hiding out in Maryland during some of the months-long nationwide manhunt, court documents revealed.
“Grateful they didn’t give up”
Law enforcement officers say Martinez Hernandez illegally crossed into the United States after an arrest warrant was issued for a murder in his native country of El Salvador.
He was also connected to a home invasion assault of a child in Los Angeles, where DNA matched what was found at Morin’s crime scene, according to police.
Through the DNA testing and surveillance video of Martinez Hernandez breaking into the Los Angeles home, he was pinned as the prime suspect.
Days after Martinez Hernandez was arrested, Morin’s mother spoke exclusively with WJZ, saying she is thankful that police never gave up on the search.
“I was just so very grateful that they didn’t give up, that she wasn’t the folder on the desk that I was afraid might happen,” Patty Morin said.
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A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.