Latest news with #RachelMorin
CBS News
07-05-2025
- CBS News
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.
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Shocking allegations made against mother who appeared at White House after illegal migrant murdered her daughter
The family of Maryland mom Rachel Morin has filed a lawsuit against the murdered woman's mother claiming she stole money from a fundraiser meant for the orphaned children. Eldest daughter Faye McMahon, 19, is suing her grandmother Patty Morin, who recently visited the White House and spoke with President Trump over the death of Rachel at the hands of an illegal migrant. McMahon is also and her aunt Rebekah Morin, alleging that the two took over $50,000 she says was donated to her murdered mom's children. According to filings seen by The Baltimore Sun, there was tens of thousands of dollars raised on GoFundMe to help Rachel's kids after she was found dead in 2023. McMahon, along with the fathers of Morin's younger kids Joseph Custer and Jonathan Alderson, filed the suit saying didn't receive any of the money raised in the wake of the brutal rape and murder. 'To date, even after requests for funds for childcare and health reasons, the trustees have refused the immediate needs of the trust requests,' the lawsuit states. 'Defendants, by their actions, have committed fraud by misrepresenting the intended use of the funds raised through the GoFundMe account and other fundraisers.' It adds that after Morin's remains were found a GoFundMe page was started by aunt Rebekah Morin, who retained control of the trust account linked to the fundraiser. According to a screenshot of the online fundraiser at the time, it said 'if there are any remaining funds, they will go toward things her five children may need'. The lawsuit states that just over $54,000 was raised on the site, which then went into a controlled account ran by Rebekah and Patty Morin. After that, a law firm saw the funds directed into a Interest on Lawyer Trust Account controlled by Rice, Murtha and Psora, LLC - the suit says. The suit says that the money was then transferred to a bank account titled 'Honor of Rachel Morin Trust', which was set up by Patty and Rebekah. It adds: 'The In Honor of the Rachel Morin Trust was not designed for the immediate needs and benefits of the children. 'The trustees of [the fund] have the unfettered ability to deplete the trust for 'trust expenses' even though it is for the benefit of the Rachel Morin Children.' McMahon, Custer and Alderson have asked the courts to order the two to hand over the money and provide a full accounting breakdown. They are also seeking compensatory and punitive damages in the case, which they hoped to be determined at a trial. Rachel Morin's illegal immigrant killer Victor Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty last month of first degree murde r, first degree rape and kidnapping. Jurors had heard Morin was on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air when she was dragged into the woods and savagely brutalized. Her body had been stuffed in a tunnel drain. An autopsy revealed Morin died from a combination of strangulation and blunt-force trauma. Police say Hernandez had been living in the United States illegally since February 2023 - just months before targeting his victim. Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler slammed the immigration system which allowed Hernandez to enter the country and stay in the US despite committing other crimes. He said: 'The failure here, again, is the immigration system that allowed this person to enter our country illegally and remain in our country and commit crimes in Los Angeles and then here in Harford County. 'We all suspected that Rachel was not his first victim. It is my understanding that this suspect, this monster, fled to the United States illegally after committing the brutal murder of a young woman in El Salvador a month earlier in January of 2023.' Morin's murder inflamed debates about illegal immigrants after details of his previous alleged crimes emerged. Trump weighed in on the conviction in a Truth Social post, paying tribute to the 'beautiful mother of five' who was 'heinously murdered.' Following that, Patty was invited to the White House and even spoke at a press briefing alongside Trump's Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 'Moments ago, the Illegal Criminal, who was allowed into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden, was convicted of the heinous murder of Rachel Morin,' he wrote. 'Rachel was a beautiful mother of five from Maryland, and her life was taken at the hands of a monster who should have NEVER been here in the first place.' Trump said Hernandez is 'actually an MS-13 Gang Member and Foreign Terrorist from El Salvador. 'We will never forget Rachel Morin, and are committed to protecting women like her across our Country. We will deport Illegal Murderers, Rapists, and Criminals.' Martinez-Hernandez went on the run after the crime and was ultimately arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 2024 after his DNA was found at the scene. A search of his phone showed he had searched for the terms 'Bel Air,' 'Rachel' and an incorrect spelling of her surname after the murder, the court was told. Martinez-Hernandez is set to be sentenced for the heinous murder in August of this year. A legal representative for Patty and Rebekah declined to comment further on the suit when approached by
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Angel mom of Rachel Morin condemns Dems' trip to see deported migrant, mainstream media bias
Patty Morin, the mother of murdered Maryland woman Rachel Morin, recounted her daughter's brutal death and delivered a searing critique of the media, failed immigration enforcement, and political leaders she says failed her family. "She was raped. She was strangled. There wasn't a part of her body that didn't have some kind of bruise, abrasion, cut," Morin told Fox News Digital, recounting the horrific details revealed during the trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, who was recently found guilty of raping and murdering Morin in August 2023. The jury returned a unanimous verdict in 46 minutes after a weeklong trial that exposed the graphic details of the crime and the cross-country manhunt that followed. For Morin, the pain of her daughter's story became a driving force behind her call for immigration reform. Rachel Morin Murder: Jury Finds Illegal Immigrant Guilty Of Killing Jogger Last week Morin joined White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at the podium to talk about her daughter's August 2023 murder. Read On The Fox News App "As soon as I got up to the podium, everyone shut off their cameras… Nobody wanted to record it live except for Fox News," she said. "They didn't want the American people to know how violent these crimes are and how rampant they are." She criticized the mainstream media for what she perceives as a deliberate effort to downplay crimes involving migrants. "It was very sad to see the state of our media and how they have a particular narrative that they want to play, and they want to promote whatever that narrative is, instead of just doing honest genuine journalism where you present the facts and let the American people decide themselves," she said. The murders of Rachel Morin, Lizbeth Medina, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Laken Riley became flashpoints in the 2024 election as the American public put faces to the spiraling migrant crisis at the southern border. "I really do believe that these crimes and having them become talking points in the election were pivotal to President Trump winning the election," Patty Morin said. "But also it shows the heart of the American people." Morin slammed former President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for not reaching out following Rachel's horrific murder. Rachel Morin's 'Bum' Killer Mooched Off Locals Before Murdering Mom Of 5: Lawyer "Their silence and their actions or lack of actions speak volumes to their character and the values that they hold." Morin called Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., flying to El Salvador last week to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia – an alleged illegal immigrant, MS-13 gang member – "despicable." Reps. Robert Garcia of California, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Maxine Dexter of Oregon flew to El Salvador on Monday to support Garcia, who was deported from Maryland. "They would rather champion his cause, a criminal, than the victim," she said. "Americans and especially Marylanders are outraged. This political stunt that he's pulled." "It makes me angry just talking about it because it shows that I'm of no value, my daughter is no value to them, and she was very precious to me." Fox News Digital reached out to Van Hollen. Through tears, Morin spoke about how her Christian faith has sustained her through loss. "I know that there is a God and that He's sovereign over all things… I want to glorify God with my life and my words." As she looks to the future, Morin said that she plans to rest and regroup after months of media appearances. "I'm tired. I'm actually going to go away for a couple of weeks just to emotionally rest," she said. "But I had to speak and tell the truth because I couldn't allow another life to perish because I didn't say something." Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this article source: Angel mom of Rachel Morin condemns Dems' trip to see deported migrant, mainstream media bias
CBS News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Van Hollen defends support for Kilmar Abrego Garcia after criticism from mother of Rachel Morin
In an interview with CNN, Maryland Senator Van Hollen responded to criticism from the mother of Rachel Morin about his advocacy for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia , a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported last month. Last week, Rachel Morin's mother, Patty Morin, spoke from the White House briefing room, questioning Van Hollen's motives after he traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia. Rachel Morin was raped and murdered while walking along the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air. Her killer, Victor Martinez-Hernandez , who is from El Salvador, was found guilty of Rachel Morin's murder on April 15. "To have a senator from Maryland who didn't even acknowledge, or barely acknowledged my daughter and the brutal death she endured, leaving her five children without a mother and now a grandbaby without a grandmother so he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that's not even an American citizen?" Patty Morin said. Van Hollen addressed the backlash on CNN on Monday night. "What happened to Rachel Morin was awful," he said. "What happened to the Morin family should not happen to any family in America." "I can't imagine the pain of losing a child," he said. "The killer was recently convicted in a court of law. That's what our courts are for—to punish the guilty and to protect the rights of the innocent." Van Hollen said he was glad to see justice in Morin's case. "I did say at the time how horrible it was," he said. "My heart went out to the Morin family. When the conviction came down, I said this is exactly right. Someone guilty should be punished." Albrego Garcia was deported in what immigration officials called an "administrative error." He had been working a sheet metal apprenticeship job in Baltimore when he was taken into custody. He was originally held at CECOT, a high-security prison. But Van Hollen said he has since been moved to a lower-security facility in Santa Ana. According to court records, he's now in the administration building at Centro Industrial. There, he has his room with a bed and furniture—not a prison cell. The U.S. State Department confirmed that Garcia was transferred eight days before Van Hollen's visit. Van Hollen said Albrego Garcia's case is different because it's about due process . Although Albrego Garcia entered the United States illegally, he was granted a withholding of removal order by a judge in 2019, permitting him to remain in the United States, due to concerns that he would be targeted by gangs in El Salvador due to his family's business. "In this other case, Kilmar Garcia's constitutional rights need to be respected," he said. "Our courts punish the guilty—but they also protect everyone's rights." "I'm not going to spend a dollar of taxpayer money to go to El Salvador to keep somebody in prison there, who the Trump administration itself admitted was wrongfully deported," Van Hollen told CNN. Last week, Van Hollen said the Salvadoran government "tried really hard" to block the meeting. Still, he was able to speak with Albrego Garcia. In an interview with Face The Nation , Van Hollen referred to Albrego Garcia's deportation as "an abduction without due process." "When you trample on the constitutional rights of one man," Van Hollen said, "you trample on the rights of every American."
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mother of Rachel Morin, killed by illegal migrant, answers whether she'd talk to Sen. Chris Van Hollen
While Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to pay a visit to a deported illegal alien, a grieving mother said she's never been contacted by the Maryland lawmaker after an illegal immigrant murdered her daughter. Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, spoke out against Van Hollen's visit, grilling the Maryland senator for going to El Salvador "to advocate for a criminal" instead of advocating for "victims of horrific, brutal crimes by illegal immigrants," including her daughter. "It just shows his character. You know a man by the words that he speaks, but also by his actions or lack of actions," Patty Morin said Friday on "The Ingraham Angle." Although it's been over a year since Rachel Morin was murdered, her mother claimed she's had "no interaction" with Van Hollen. She remains open to taking a call from the Maryland senator. "I would be gracious and take the call. I don't know that it would make a difference," Patty Morin told Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo. "I think if he did make the effort to call, it would just be, like, a political stunt to say he did it." Trump Calls Sen. Van Hollen A 'Fool' After Meeting With Deported Ms-13 Suspect In El Salvador Read On The Fox News App Van Hollen released the following statement Tuesday regarding the conviction of Rachel Morin's killer: "While the conviction of Rachel Morin's killer will not return Rachel to her family where she rightfully belongs, this verdict brings a measure of justice that they so deserve. I'm grateful to the law enforcement officers who brought her killer into custody and for our legal process for delivering this justice. As I have said in the past, the American people deserve meaningful action to reform our broken immigration system, improve public safety, and strengthen our border security. We can do this while also supporting our immigrant communities and respecting the rights of individuals who are here legally — I am committed to doing both, and I will continue pressing my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move forward on this issue." Van Hollen flew to El Salvador this week to meet with deported illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and his request was finally granted on Thursday. "I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar," Van Hollen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return." Rachel Morin's Mother Tearfully Begs Media To 'Tell The Truth' About Criminal Illegal Immigrants Garcia, a 29-year-old illegal immigrant living in Maryland, was deported to the El Salvadoran megaprison "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT) in March. Officials acknowledged in court his deportation was an administrative error, although now some top Trump officials say he was correctly removed and contend he's a member of the notorious MS-13 gang. Both a federal district court and the U.S. Supreme Court have ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" his release and return to the United States for proper deportation proceedings. Newly-released documents from the Trump administration also revealed domestic violence allegations against Garcia. On Wednesday, his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura put out a statement addressing the domestic violence allegations: "After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution following a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order, in case things escalated. Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process. We were able to work through the situation privately as a family, including by going to counseling." Patty Morin criticized Van Hollen for using her "taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to advocate for a criminal." "A criminal, as in he's here illegally, so he's already broken federal law about being in the country illegally," she continued. Van Hollen's office did not reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment as of press time. It also did not answer whether Van Hollen would call Patty Morin or clarify who funded the senator's trip to El Salvador. Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner, Alexa Moutevelis and Alexander Hall contributed to this article source: Mother of Rachel Morin, killed by illegal migrant, answers whether she'd talk to Sen. Chris Van Hollen
