Rachel Morin's children claim in lawsuit they haven't received donated money since murder
Five children of Rachel Morin, the Maryland woman murdered along a popular trail in 2023, have filed a lawsuit against their grandmother and aunt for not sharing the donated money and gifts.
According to the lawsuit, a GoFundMe account was started after Morin's death to raise money for funeral expenses. The lawsuit also says that the remaining funds would be given to her children. Instead, all of the money was in an account controlled by Patty Morin and Rebekah Morin -- Rachel Morin's mother and sister.
Nearly $55,000 was donated through an online fundraising campaign, which was intended for Morin's children, according to the lawsuit.
However, the lawsuit contends that the children, who range in age from 9 to 19, have not received any of that money or any other money collected.
Rachel Morin murder case
Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an El Salvador native, was convicted of the killing of Morin, who was found dead on August 6, 2023, about 150 feet off the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County.
According to police, Morin left for a jog on the trail and never returned. She was found the next day, raped and murdered.
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following a 10-month nationwide manhunt.
Law enforcement said he illegally entered the United States in early 2023 to flee from an arrest warrant for murder. DNA evidence at Morin's crime scene was also tied to a break-in and assault of a child and her mother in Los Angeles.
Martinez-Hernandez will face sentencing for Morin's murder in August, according to court records.
Morin's murder ignites U.S. immigration conversation
Morin's murder case made national headlines and sparked conversations about illegal immigration in the United States.
As the investigation into Martinez-Hernandez unfolded, law enforcement determined that he had entered the U.S. illegally after he was accused of murdering a woman in El Salvador.
Martinez-Hernandez had been apprehended by Border Patrol for entering the country illegally on three occasions in 2023. He was investigated and expelled when no criminal history was found.
In 2024, Morin's brother, Michael Morin, spoke at the Republican National Committee (RNC) Convention, saying his sister's death was preventable.
Following the guilty verdict, Rachel Morin's mother, Patty Morin, joined a White House briefing to talk about her daughter's murder.
She questioned the motive of Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen after he traveled to El Salvador to check on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was mistakenly deported from Maryland to a prison in his native country.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Federal prosecutors 'coming after' L.A. protesters, but do some charges encroach on 1st Amendment?
At least 14 people are facing federal charges tied to immigration protests that have roiled L.A. in recent days, with alleged crimes ranging from assaults on officers and possession of explosive devices to conspiracy to impede arrests. Some are charged in criminal complaints with extremely serious offenses — including hurling a Molotov cocktail at Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies last weekend or throwing cinder blocks at federal law enforcement — but others face prison time for extremely minor skirmishes with immigration agents that one former federal prosecutor called "sad and pathetic." No one has been indicted thus far. Officials with the U.S. attorney's office in L.A. said they expect the number of people charged to increase in coming days, and the FBI has taken to social media asking for the public's help. During a news conference Wednesday where he accused Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, of Paramount, of throwing a Molotov cocktail at sheriff's deputies during a Saturday protest, U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli promised more prosecutions would come. 'We are looking at hundreds of people ... we're going to take our time, we're going to identify them," Essayli said. "We're coming after all these people. So let's be clear, this is the beginning, not the end." In criminal complaints provided by the U.S. attorney's office in L.A., federal authorities accused protesters of blocking vehicles, shoving an agent, grabbing another agent's arm and throwing hard objects believed to be remnants of cinder blocks and rocks toward agents. Among the federal authorities allegedly accosted have been Border Patrol agents. On Wednesday, prosecutors also announced charges of possessing a destructive device against Wrackkie Quiogue, 27, of Long Beach, and accused two other men of misdemeanor assault against a federal officer. According to the complaint, LAPD officers spotted Quiogue with a Molotov cocktail — a clear bottle with a yellow rag sticking out of it — and as they approached him, he allegedly threw it in the air and attempted to flee. The decision to charge David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, has drawn the most consternation from the public. The union leader — whose organization represents approximately 750,000 people — is accused of conspiracy to impede an officer. Huerta was arrested Friday while documenting an immigration enforcement raid in the downtown Fashion District. His detention prompted rallies across the country demanding his release. Union members said he was exercising his 1st Amendment rights. He was released on a $50,000 bond on Monday. Federal authorities said Huerta deliberately blocked their vehicles, obstructing federal agents' access to a work site where they were executing a search warrant on Friday. Video of the arrest shows the labor leader pushed by authorities in riot gear until he falls backward, appearing to strike his head on the curb. Marilyn Bednarski, Huerta's attorney, said she's seen videos circulating of Huerta's interaction with federal law enforcement and said she saw 'no intimidation, no effort to impede the government.' Bednarski's comments echo broader concerns with Essayli's approach to protest prosecutions. Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who is now a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said that, while the cases involving explosives and cinder blocks are certainly "serious crimes," the lesser offenses such as those alleged against Huerta are meant to send a message to protesters: the rules are different now. "It's not the type of charges we usually see come from the federal authorities. I think by bringing these charges they want to send a message that they have zero tolerance," she said. "Where do you draw the line between an organized protest and a conspiracy to impede? It'll actually be interesting to see if a grand jury indicts these cases." Levenson questioned if Essayli had gone too far in charging Huerta with conspiracy, and she noted that in some cases the allegations seemed focused on demonizing normal protest behavior. "There are factual issues in these cases, like who pushed whom first. Some of the charges, including with pictures, seem to make a big deal out of how the protesters were making obscene remarks or gestures," she said. "That's not illegal. They're doing that to try and bolster what the intent was here." While viral video has focused on clashes between protesters and state, local and federal agents, the actual number of arrests and criminal charges have been difficult to tally. Federal prosecutors have brought cases against at least 14 people. While Los Angeles police have arrested hundreds this week on a range of offenses, charges have yet to be made public. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman is expected to announce some filings Wednesday afternoon. It's unclear exactly how many immigrants have been affected, but federal officials confirmed that hundreds have been arrested by ICE officers and agents since Friday. Protests broke out last Friday as federal authorities served search warrants for four business locations 'suspected of unlawfully employing illegal aliens and falsifying employment records related to the status of its employees," according to the criminal complaint against Huerta. In an affidavit filed with the complaint, Ryan Ribner, a supervisory special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, accused Huerta of blocking the path of a law enforcement vehicle trying to assist with the search warrant for Ambiance Apparel, a sprawling fast-fashion warehouse. The company was one of the sites of a workplace raid. Although Ribner wrote that he saw Huerta push back on an officer who put his hands on him in an attempt to move him, Huerta has not been charged with assault. Criminal complaints reviewed by The Times laid out a range of alleged crimes over the past days, including against sisters Ashley and Joceline Rodriguez, who were arrested tied to a protest in Paramount on Saturday. Federal authorities allege that the sisters ignored commands to stop blocking Border Patrol agents' cars. When an agent attempted to move Ashley, she allegedly resisted, broke free and then shoved the agent. Joceline allegedly grabbed an agent's arm "in an apparent effort to prevent the USBP agent from arresting" Ashley. Both have been charged with assault on a federal officer. "There appear to be numerous social media accounts of [the] event that conflict with the account of the agents," Kenneth Reed, an attorney representing Ashley, said in an email. Also arrested at the Saturday protest was Gisselle Medina, who has been charged with conspiracy to impede an officer. According to the complaint, a man believed to be Medina's boyfriend threw a rock at the agents and, when they attempted to apprehend him, Medina allegedly jumped in front of an agent, grabbed onto the person "and prevented the arrest." Medina's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. "She may not have done the right thing but in previous administrations you wouldn't have necessarily seen that charged as a conspiracy to impede an officer," Levenson said. The FBI is still searching for Elpidio Reyna, who was accused of throwing rocks at federal vehicles and injuring one of the agents as they left a command post in Paramount on Saturday. Among those charged was Russell Gomez Dzul, who was not involved in a protest. Border Patrol agents claimed they approached Gomez on a Los Angeles street because he "appeared startled and nervous when he saw the agents," and abruptly changed course, "moving away from the agents at accelerating speeds." "Based on Gomez's reaction and movements, Agent O.I. perceived Gomez to be attempting to evade the agents, and suspected Gomez of being in the U.S. illegally," a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations wrote in an affidavit. None of the agents were named in the complaint. According to the complaint, the agents ordered Gomez to stop, but he abandoned the bike and fled on foot. Gomez allegedly physically resisted arrest "by forcefully pulling his arms away from the agents' grips." The agents were then able to put him in handcuffs and secure him in a marked Border Patrol vehicle, according to the complaint. As many as 15 protesters allegedly confronted the agents soon after, according to the complaint. In the affidavit, the HSI agent said that, based on a review of footage of the incident, "protesters were filming on their cell phones, yelling obscenities at the agents, and throwing items at the agents, including rocks." In attempting to exit the area, according to the complaint, Agent L.M. opened the rear passenger door of the Border Patrol vehicle where Gomez was seated. When it opened, Gomez allegedly pushed his weight against the door, moved his feet out of the vehicle and attempted to get out. According to the complaint, in an interview with a Border Patrol agent later, Gomez said he ran away from the agents on instinct when he saw the 'cop car.' Essayli tried to draw a clear line between encroaching on the 1st Amendment and criminal activity in speaking to reporters Wednesday. 'You have the right to peacefully protest, no one's going to stop you, but as soon as you cross that line into violence, you're throwing stuff, you're throwing rocks, you're throwing bombs, that's unacceptable, it will not be tolerated," he said. "We're going to come down with a really heavy hand.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
CBP Warning: Don't Fall For Phone Scams Impersonating Border Agents
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leaders are now warning Americans to be on high alert for phone scams that continue to target people around the country, pretending to be from the agency and attempting to steal money or social security numbers. According to a statement from CBP officials in Houston, the scam often involves fake calls from people claiming to be CBP agents or Border Patrol officers, asking for Social Security numbers, banking details, or payments to 'resolve' scam investigations. Sometimes, the calls have even referenced fake shipments of drugs or cash allegedly tied to the recipient's name or address, hoping to scare the recipient into offering up money or other valuable personal information in order to fix the potential legal threat. 'Anyone receiving a call from U.S. Customs and Border Protection about self-deportation, or a shipment of drugs or money should recognize that it is a scam regardless of how authentic the caller may sound,' said Rod Hudson, CBP's Acting Director of Field Operations in Houston. Hudson also warned the public that CBP will never call to demand money or threaten citizens with police action if they don't comply. 'If CBP suspects illegal activity, we will not call a suspect or a victim requesting money or Social Security numbers. To be clear, CBP will not make telephone calls threatening citizens that law enforcement is on the way or promising money for information,' Hudson added. Scammers often try to sound convincing, sometimes using the real names of CBP employees – easily found online -and giving out fake case numbers or badge numbers to boost their 'credibility.' Other scammers use robocalls instructing recipients to press a number to 'speak with an officer,' only to demand banking information or payments. The CBP is now urging the public to remain vigilant regardless of how 'real' a scammer may sound. If you receive a call like this, the CBP recommends the following steps: 1. Hang up immediately. 2. Never share your Social Security number, credit card details, or banking information over the phone. 3. Don't trust caller ID or numbers left in voicemails – scammers can fake them. 4. Always verify any suspicious calls by visiting CBP's official website or calling a publicly listed phone number. CBP officials also detailed in their recent statement that the agency does not solicit money over the phone and would never ask for payment from the public through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers of any kind. Texans who suspect they've received a scam call can report it to the Federal Trade Commission's official online form.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Karoline Leavitt gets fiery as she's pressed on Trump's military response to Los Angeles protests
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got into a heated back and forth with reporters on Wednesday as she held her first briefing since President Donald Trump' federalized the National Guard in California and sent active-duty Marines to join them in cracking down on protests and unrest over immigration roundups in Los Angeles. Leavitt condemned the protests as 'shameful,' citing what she described as 'left-wing radicals waving foreign flags' who she accused of 'viciously attacking' Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents as well as Los Angeles Police Department officers as part of an assault on 'American culture and society itself.' Leavitt also condemned Democratic elected officials in the Golden State, specifically Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, accusing them of having 'shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens' by not ordering a forceful military response to protesters. She also lauded Trump for ordering the 'mob' of protesters to be 'stamped out.' 'The criminals responsible will be swiftly brought to justice, and the Trump administration's operations to arrest illegal aliens are continuing unabated,' Leavitt said. She added that Newsom and Bass had sided 'with illegal alien criminals in their communities and violent rioters and looters over law enforcement officers who are just doing their jobs.' But Leavitt's pugnacious attacks on California leaders did not satisfy reporters, who repeatedly asked her about the extent to which the military service members who've been deployed in Los Angeles are authorized to aid in immigration law enforcement, nor did she fully explain how Trump's threats to use 'very big force' against protesters at his planned military parade in D.C. this weekend comport with America's constitutional guarantees of free speech. She also aggressively denied that the immigration crackdown that precipitated the protests and violence over the weekend had been ordered up in an effort to change the national conversation from Trump's messy split with billionaire Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX boss who wrapped up a stint as an unpaid adviser to the administration late last month. Asked about the possibility that Trump's crackdown was meant as a distraction to their social media war, Leavitt replied: 'That's an incredibly disingenuous attack.' She said Trump had been moved by 'images of border patrol and ICE agents being hailed with rocks and Molotov cocktails' and 'vehicles being burned to the ground with illegal aliens flying foreign flags.' Leavitt's press briefing came less than a day after Trump threatened to forcibly put down any protests that spoil the military parade he has ordered up for his birthdayon Saturday to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army's founding during the American Revolutionary War. During a media availability in the Oval Office on Tuesday, the president warned that any protests of the parade would be 'met with very big force' on Saturday. He reiterated the explicit threat a moment later, telling 'those people who want to protest' that they would be 'met with very big force' once more. He also opined further that any protest against the parade on Saturday would consist only of 'people who hate our country.' The president has a long history of pushing for the use of state violence against protests, which he considers to be a personal affront and a reflection of weakness on his part. During protests for racial justice in Washington following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer, he reportedly pushed to have military and law enforcement open fire on other protesters, asking then his then-Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Mark Milley, why National Guard troops deployed as a result of the demonstrations could not shoot protesters in the legs. But Leavitt denied that Trump has any intention of attacking protests against his parade or his policies this weekend. Seemingly ignorant of the president's history of urging violence against demonstrations, Leavitt claimed the president 'supports the right of Americans to peacefully protest' and 'supports the First Amendment' while suggesting that the protests in Los Angeles have consisted entirely of 'mobs of violent rioters and agitators assaulting law enforcement officers, assaulting our federal immigration authorities.' 'Thankfully, the President took action and stepped in to protect our federal law enforcement agents, to perfect protect federal buildings, to protect the federal mission of deporting illegal criminals off of our streets, and that mission will continue every day, as far as we're concerned,' she said.
