Prosecutors also connected him to a home invasion in 2023 in Los Angeles and reported he is wanted in El Salvador for the killing of yet another woman. He was given life sentences for first-degree murder and rape, along with 40 more years for a third-degree sex offence and kidnapping by Judge Yolanda Curtin. He will finish out his term in a Maryland prison.
In May 2024, the man wanted in the Ruby case was arrested in Tulsa after nearly a year on the run. Prosecutor Alison Healey described him as 'the most worthy of a maximum sentence' in the history of Harford County.
Emotional Testimony from Family
At his sentencing, the mother of victim Patty Morin told the court that "Her murder was brutal and we will never forget it." Ms Morin had three kids, aged nine to 15, who were heard on the recording saying: "Now I have to spend more time without you than with you. Her older brother, Michael Morin, spoke of forgiving the killer because of his Christian faith.
Federal officials have said that Martinez-Hernandez was deported three times in 2023 after illegally entering the country, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Political Attention and Border Debate
Morin's death later entered national politics when it was mentioned by then-President Donald Trump while he was campaigning to increase security at the US-Mexico border. Michael Morin has addressed the Republican National Convention in 2024, and her family has endorsed such efforts.
Morin was also invited to a White House media briefing in April this year, during which she described the death of her daughter. The case has stoked controversy over border policies after a profound body of research shows that undocumented immigrants are no more likely (and possibly less so) to commit crimes than US citizens.
