The man accused of killing Bel Air mother Rachel Morin won’t face trial until at least April, a Harford County judge ruled during a Friday hearing.

The decision came after the defense team representing Victor Martinez-Hernandez said there was a “voluminous” amount of evidence to review ahead of the trial, which had been scheduled to begin in late October. That includes about a terabyte of video footage and scientific evidence of a “chemical nature,” public defender Marcus Jenkins said, noting that the defense team’s caseloads had not decreased due to Martinez-Hernandez’s case.

They also haven’t seen their client “as frequently as we would like to” due to their caseloads and the need to see him in person at the Harford County Detention Center along with a translator.

Communicating through a Spanish interpreter, Martinez-Hernandez, 23, waived his right to a speedy trial on Friday in order to allow the delay. Prosecutors, including Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey, did not object to the defense team’s argument.

Harford County Circuit Judge Yolanda L. Curtin pushed the trial’s start date to April 1, 2025, noting that Martinez-Hernandez faces some of the “most serious allegations that exist in the state of Maryland.” The trial is expected to last through April 16 of that year.

Martinez-Hernandez was indicted in July on several charges including first-degree murder and first-degree rape for Morin’s killing last August on Bel Air’s Ma & Pa Trail. He had been identified as a suspect in the homicide and arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma the prior month.

The El Salvador native’s arrest in Morin’s high-profile killing became a flashpoint in ongoing national debates over immigration policy during a pivotal election year. Rachel Morin’s mother, Patty, has since testified before Congress; and the slain 37-year-old’s brother addressed the Republican National Convention this August, calling his sister’s death “preventable.”

But despite the national attention, Martinez-Hernandez’s criminal prosecution has been rather routine and slow-moving so far. Friday’s hearing in Harford County Circuit Court’s ceremonial courtroom was attended by a handful of local news reporters and courthouse employees, as well as Patty Morin and her attorney, Randolph Rice.

It was, however, the first time Martinez-Hernandez appeared in person in court, having appeared in prior hearings through a remote connection from the Harford County Detention Center. Patty Morin’s expression turned to a frown as her eyes followed Martinez-Hernandez while he was escorted by sheriff’s deputies into the courtroom at the start of Friday’s hearing, handcuffed and shackled.

“His physical presence brought an overwhelming sense of grief and sadness” to Morin’s mother, Rice said in a statement, adding that Patty Morin “tearfully commented on the pain of seeing the man accused of taking her daughter’s life.”

Rice said in a statement that the postponement “was not unexpected.”

“We’ve been preparing the family for a lengthy legal process,” Rice said. “The family is strong and taking this in stride, knowing that justice will take time.”

Martinez-Hernandez spoke briefly during Friday’s hearing, responding to standard legal questions through the interpreter in order to waive his rights. Asked about his level of education, he responded that he had completed the seventh grade. He also said that he was receiving psychological treatment at the jail.

During Friday’s hearing, Curtin also denied a bid from prosecutors to exclude the Office of the Public Defender from representing Martinez-Hernandez. The State’s Attorney’s Office had argued that the public defender’s office had once represented Morin’s boyfriend, Richard Tobin, who has been identified as a potential prosecution witness.

The public defenders representing Martinez-Hernandez during Friday’s hearing, however, have never spoken to Tobin, Jenkins said. Curtin noted that the public defender’s office “has taken steps with its own office” to avoid a conflict of interest and encourage the office to “continue to safeguard” from any overlap between Tobin’s and Martinez-Hernandez’s representation.

Have a news tip? Contact Dan Belson at dbelson@baltsun.com and 443-790-4827.