Lizbeth Medina murder: Slain Texas cheerleader's aunt labels arrested accused Rafael Romero 'monster', denies knowing him
SCHULENBERG, TEXAS: Police have reportedly arrested suspect Rafael Romero, an undocumented immigrant male, in relation to the murder of Lizbeth Medina, a Texas high school cheerleader, who was found dead in her home's bathtub.
In the aftermath of the heartbreaking incident, the slain cheerleader's aunt called the arrested suspect a "monster". She went on to express her astonishment, stating that Romero, who has been living in the country on an expired visa, had never been a part of her niece Lizbeth's life, and they had never encountered him before.
Additionally, she commended the police officers' efforts who worked tirelessly to apprehend the accused. She hoped that such a brutal incident would never occur in anyone's life.
What did Lizabeth’s aunt say about Rafael Romero?
In the aftermath of Lizabeth Medina's murder, her aunt Ana Medina responded to the arrest of the accused, Romero. Initially, she emphasized that Lizbeth's family had no prior knowledge of the 23-year-old Romero, and they were seeking answers about why he may have committed the crime.
She stated, "We looked at his face, we looked at his family. He has no connection [to Medina]. We never knew him. Police said it was an isolated crime."
She further added, "We had a really evil person apprehended, and he’s off the streets. We don’t want him to see the light of day, I know that my niece did not die in vain because this person is a monster."
Ana Medina recalls pain after Lizbeth Medina’s death
Ana Medina then recounted the aftermath of the incident when she learned about Lizbeth's death.
She shared that she was the first person her sister called after making the horrific discovery. "I heard her screams, I heard her pain," Ana recalled.
Expressing her close bond with her sister, Lizbeth's mother, Ana emphasized that her niece was like a daughter to her.
The violent killing of the teen sent shockwaves through Edna, a small city of 5,500 people located about 100 miles southwest of Houston. Lizbeth's mother, Jacqueline Medina, had recently moved there from Grand Island, Nebraska, for a job in the renewable energy sector.
On Saturday, following a tip, local police and Texas Rangers arrested Romero at his family’s home in the town of Schulenburg. They also seized items from his silver Ford Taurus that they claimed connected him to the murder.
Ana shared that news of Romero's arrest brought her sister "some peace," but she stressed that her sister "has the same questions everybody else does." She urged the public to be patient and trust law enforcement to build a case against Romero.
She also expressed gratitude to the authorities for their dedication, working long hours, and enduring "sleepless nights" to make an arrest. "We are at peace that this person was found," she said, adding, "He was an evil guy," as per the New York Post.
What happened to Lizath Medina?
On December 5, the lifeless body of Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old student at Edna High School, was discovered in the bathtub of her family's apartment by her mother Jacqueline Medina.
The search began when Lizbeth failed to participate in the Christmas parade, where she was slated to march with her cheer squad.
Jacqueline shared her distress, saying, "I decided to go look for her. And I kept calling her phone nonstop, and it would take me straight to voicemail."
The anguished mother continued, "It wasn’t until I walked into the restroom that I was on the phone with my friend asking him to come help me look for her — is when I [saw] her foot, and it was in the bathtub. And so I opened the curtains. There she was," recounted Jacqueline Medina.
