Former President Donald Trump has invited several members of Rachel Morin’s family to join him at the Republican National Convention next week.
Her brother Michael Morin is scheduled to speak at the convention in Milwaukee, according to an RNC source familiar with the planning. He and other family members are attending as guests of Trump and the convention, the source said.
An email listing expected speakers from the Trump campaign confirmed Michael Morin’s scheduled speech. He’s one of 24 listed speakers, including three employees of Trump’s businesses, expected to address the convention. It is unclear when Michael Morin will address the convention, which is scheduled for July 15-18.
Morin’s half-sister, Erin Layman, earlier in the week told The Baltimore Sun that Trump’s campaign is paying for her and several extended family members’ trip. Layman said she is also scheduled to speak about the case at the convention, according to The Sun.
Morin, a Harford County mother of five, went missing while on a walk in 2023 and her body was later found near a Bel Air hiking trail. Authorities in the case have charged Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 23, with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree rape, third-degree sex offense and kidnapping.
Morin’s story has since attracted national attention, in part because Martinez-Hernandez, who is from El Salvador, illegally crossed the border into the United States around Feb. 13, 2023. U.S. Customs and Border Protection had previously captured him three times for illegally entering the U.S. and returned him to Mexico. Trump’s campaign has cited Morin’s story as an example of failed U.S. immigration policy under the Biden administration.
“We are honored that Rachel Morin’s loved ones will address the nation at our Republican National Convention and give Rachel’s story the respect and attention it deserves, as it shows all Americans why we need President Trump to secure our border, deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes against innocent Americans, and make America safe again,” said Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the campaign, in an email Thursday.
Representatives for the Republican National Convention did not immediately return messages requesting comment.
Other members of Morin’s family are not planning to attend the convention. Attorney Randolph Rice, who represents Morin’s mother, Patty, and several siblings, said his clients have not heard from the Trump campaign about attending the convention.
However, Rice said, the former president’s team has been in “constant contact” with the family in recent weeks. Trump in June spoke with Patty Morin on the phone to offer his condolences and later had lunch with her on June 30.
“She [Patty] has the utmost respect for President Trump and the sincere generosity he has shown her and her family and continues to support changes at the southern border to prevent another Rachel Morin [incident],” Rice said in a message Wednesday.
Baltimore Banner editor Julie Bykowicz contributed to this story.
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