The mother of A Maryland woman killed in a brutal attack — allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant whose other suspected crimes took place on multiple continents and in multiple states — will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday after she says the tragedy has led to an unlikely friendship with the returning commander-in-chief.
“It’s been a surreal experience over the past year and a half. Losing my daughter in such a horrific and unexpected way, the waiting and fear of whether or not a suspect would ever be caught, the international attention Rachel’s case has received, culminating in congressional hearings and a friendship with President Trump,” Patty Morin told Fox News Digital.
Her 37-year-old daughter, Rachel Morin, was reported missing in August 2023 after she failed to return from her daily jog. Rachel, herself a mother of five, was later found with serious injuries, stuffed into a culvert near the path.
US Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump comforts Patty Morin, mother of Rachel Morin, who was killed by an illegal immigrant on August 22, 2024 at the US-Mexico border, south of Sierra Vista, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
It took an interstate law enforcement effort to identify and arrest the suspect, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23. border “escape” accused of a wave of violent crimes against women.
He was wanted for the murder of another woman in his native El Salvador and is accused of burglarizing a California house and raped a woman and her nine-year-old daughter there.
‘I could never have imagined that life would take such a turn. And now there’s a new Trump administration on the horizon with renewed hope for safety and security for our families and nation… who would have thought that Rachel’s story, her life, would help change’ our country, take us back to fundamental truths and common sense. We look forward with great anticipation to what the next four years will bring,” said Morin.
Rachel Morin was dragged off a hiking trail and brutally murdered on August 5, 2023. (Family distribution)
She has been to the Capitol several times in the past year to testify before Congress and advocate for a crackdown on immigrant crime.
Earlier this month, some of those efforts were rewarded with the passage of the Laken Riley Act, named after another young woman whose suspected killer was an illegal immigrant. Like Rachel Morin, Riley, a nursing student from Georgia was attacked by a stranger while jogging.
Victor Martinez Hernandez after his arrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has since been extradited to Maryland to face justice in the murder of Rachel Morin. (Tusla police department)
“Changing federal law, as set forth in the Laken Riley Act, provides stronger provisions for the apprehension of criminals illegal immigrants and provides interim relief to states and citizens who have suffered from the Biden-Harris open border disaster,” Morin said. “I am deeply encouraged that Congress is finally taking action to protect American families and ensure safer communities.”
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“It was a slap in the face to the American citizens who lost loved ones when 159 Democrats chose to protect criminal illegal immigrants instead of the American citizens they were supposed to protect. Shameful!” she added.
