Rafael Romero: Illegal immigrant who stabbed Texas cheerleader Lizbeth Medina, 16, to death charged with capital murder
SCHULENBERG, TEXAS: The illegal immigrant suspect in the horrific death of a 16-year-old cheerleader has been charged with capital murder by a Texas grand jury.
According to the indictment, Rafael Govea Romero, 23, attempted to commit a robbery, sexual assault, or burglary when he purposefully caused Lizbeth Medina's death.
Rafael Romero allegedly killed Lizbeth Medina by repeatedly stabbing her
Romero allegedly killed Medina by "striking" her head "with a hard object," "causing her head to strike a firm surface," and "repeatedly stabbing or cutting" her "with a sharp object or edged weapon," according to the document.
Lizbeth Medina's mother Jacqueline Medina, who expressed her dismay at the indictment, told Fox News Digital that she believes the grand jury's decision to charge Romero with capital murder was influenced by "all the evidence and all the other details" in the case.
Jacqueline added that she intends to participate in the legal system at every stage.
"I don't want to miss anything at all, not if I can help it, because my baby deserves justice, and I want to be part of it," she stated.
Lizbeth Medina was staying home from school on December 5. Her friends and family were unaware of anything unusual until that afternoon, when she did not show up for a Christmas parade that her cheerleading squad was participating in.
After work, Jacqueline went to the parade to cheer on her daughter, but she never saw her. Immediately, she started contacting Lizbeth's friends to ask about her whereabouts.
Later that day, she returned home to discover Lizbeth Medina dead in their Edna apartment bathtub, her foot protruding from behind a shower curtain.
Jacqueline told Fox News Digital that Romero had no connection to her daughter or their family after the Edna Police Department named him as a suspect in her murder a few days later.
About a month prior to the adolescent's murder, on November 13, police discovered that their apartment had been broken into.
Rafael Romero's bond was set at $2 million
Jacqueline previously admitted to Fox News Digital that she initially failed to see the connection. For a while now, she and Lizbeth had noticed small items disappearing from their apartment.
They informed the police about the missing possessions on November 13 due to the disappearance of some larger items.
In an affidavit at the time, an Edna officer stated, "I believe the burglary from 11/13/2023 could have a connection with the murder suspect. I believed the suspect of this murder was at large and a present danger to the community."
Authorities in Edna also suggested that Romero might have taken Lizbeth's phone following the murder. The day of Lizbeth's murder, her boyfriend used his smartphone to track the 16-year-old's whereabouts to a location about a half mile from her apartment.
Lizbeth Medina's cousin discovered the next day that the victim's Snapchat message had been viewed, suggesting that someone had been using her phone following her ceath.
After alerting Edna Police to the suspicious phone activity, they were able to locate Lizbeth's phone and track it to the suspect in Schulenburg, Texas, which is roughly an hour's drive away from Edna. Romero was then taken into custody.
Following his arrest, the suspect's bond was set at $2 million.
As Romero's case progresses in court, Jacqueline said she still has a lot of unanswered questions about what happened to her daughter and why the suspect allegedly targeted the 16-year-old. "I kind of want to know, just to have closure," she stated.
