A Maryland woman was killed in a brutal running attack allegedly perpetrated by an illegal immigrant whose other alleged crimes occurred on multiple continents and states. She will attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump after speaking out about the tragedy on Monday. An unexpected friendship develops with the returning Commander-in-Chief.
"It has been a surreal experience over the past year and a half. Losing my daughter in such a horrific and unexpected way, the wait and fear of whether the suspect would be caught, Rachel's case has caused That culminated in international attention and "congressional hearings and friendship with President Trump," Patty Morin told Fox News Digital.
Her 37-year-old daughter Rachel Morin was reported missing in August 2023 after failing to return from her daily jog. Rachel, a mother of five herself, was later found seriously injured and stuffed into a culvert near a path.
Illegal immigrant suspected of murdering Rachel Morin enters US on the run after being released 3 times: ICE
On August 22, 2024, US Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump comforted Patty, the mother of Rachel Morin, who was murdered by illegal immigrants, at the US-Mexico border south of Sierra Vista, Arizona. · Maureen. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
It took an interstate law enforcement effort to identify and capture the suspect, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, a border “fugitive” who was Charged with a range of violent crimes against women.
He was wanted for the murder of another woman in his native El Salvador and was accused of breaking into a house in California where he raped a woman and her nine-year-old daughter.
Rep. Nadler pictured with head bowed and eyes closed during testimony from immigrant crime victim's mother
"I never imagined life would take such a turn. Now, with the new Trump administration on the horizon, there is renewed hope for the safety and security of our families and our country...Who could have imagined Rachel's story and her Life will help change our country and bring us back to basic truths and common sense and look ahead to what the next four years will bring," Morin said.
On August 5, 2023, Rachel Morin was dragged off a hiking trail and brutally murdered. (distributed to family members)
She made several trips to the Capitol last year, testifying before Congress and pleading to crack down on immigration crimes.
Rachel Morin Murder: Maryland Sheriff Says Open Border 'Allows' Illegal Immigrants to Kill Mother of Five
Earlier this month, some of those efforts paid off with the passage of the Laken Riley Act, named for another young woman whose suspected killer was an illegal immigrant. Like Rachel Morin, Georgia nursing student Riley was attacked by a stranger while jogging.
Victor Martinez Hernandez following his arrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has since been extradited to Maryland to stand trial for the murder of Rachel Morin. (Tusla Police Department)
"By amending the federal laws set forth in the Laken-Riley Act, it provides stronger provisions for apprehending criminal illegal immigrants and provides relief to states and citizens suffering the disaster of the Biden-Harris open border," Morin said. "I am very encouraged that Congress is finally taking steps to protect American families and keep communities safer."
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"When 159 Democrats choose to protect criminal illegal immigrants instead of the American citizens they were elected to protect, it is a slap in the face to American citizens who have lost their loved ones. Shameful!" she added.