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Trump win moves slain cheerleader's mom to tears as illegal immigrant faces murder trial

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Trump win moves slain cheerleader's mom to tears as illegal immigrant faces murder trial

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EXCLUSIVE — The mother of a 16-year-old Texas girl who was brutally murdered, allegedly by an illegal immigrant from Mexico, in her own home last December says Trump’s victory last week made her tear up.

“When I heard the news in the morning that he won, I teared up,” Jacqueline Medina told Fox News Digital. “I teared up because I thought about my daughter. The Biden-Harris administration failed us terribly.”

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Medina’s “beautiful, loving, bubbly, funny” 16-year-old daughter, Lizbeth Medina, was murdered on Dec. 5, 2023. Rafael Govea Romero, the 24-year-old man charged with capital murder in connection with the attack, is scheduled to face trial next month.

“With [Trump] winning, I’m really hoping that there are stricter laws so we can protect our kids, our children, our families, our loved ones from this happening to them again,” Medina said.

TEXAS TEEN LIZBETH MEDINA MURDER: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MURDER SUSPECT RAFAEL GOVEA ROMERO

Jacqueline Medina came home to find her daughter, Lizbeth Medina, 16, dead in the bathtub of their home on Dec. 5, 2023. (Instagram)

Medina said she knows stricter policies won’t bring back her daughter, but she is hoping they will “prevent this from happening to another child.”

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 “We don’t want another Lizbeth. We don’t want another Laken Riley.”

— Jacqueline Medina

Medina had left their apartment for work early on Dec. 5, 2023. Her daughter typically left for school shortly afterward, but that day she did not make it to school or the Christmas parade that her cheer team was supposed to be practicing for.

A Jackson County grand jury indicted Rafael Govea Romero on a capital murder charge in connection to Lizbeth Medina’s stabbing death. (FOX 26 Houston)

When Medina showed up to the Christmas parade and did not see her daughter, she knew something was wrong and frantically contacted friends and family for help finding the 16-year-old girl.

MOM OF TEXAS TEEN ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT CALLS FOR CHANGE AFTER LAKEN RILEY MURDER

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Medina returned home that evening after no one had heard from or seen Lizbeth and found her dead with an apparent stab wound in the bathtub of their Edna apartment.

Edna police arrested Romero in Schulenburg, Texas, five days after Lizbeth’s death, according to authorities.

Jacqueline Medina hopes Trump’s election win will help prevent other families from going through what her family endured when Lizbeth was killed. (Facebook)

Romero had a criminal history in Texas and was on probation at the time of his arrest in connection to Lizbeth’s murder, Edna Police Chief Rick Boone previously told Fox News Digital.

The murder suspect was reportedly on probation for a 2022 burglary in Schulenburg, about 60 miles from Edna, the Fayette County Record first reported. Edna police said Romero may also be tied to a burglary that occurred at Lizbeth’s home about a month before her killing.

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TEXAS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT INDICTED ON CAPITAL MURDER CHARGE IN CHEERLEADER’S BEATING, STABBING DEATH

The Edna Police Department announced the arrest of Rafael Govea Romero, an “undocumented male” who officials believe is “the person responsible for the death of Lizbeth Medina.” (Edna Police Department)

Neither Medina nor Lizbeth knew Romero, but Medina noted that their house had been burglarized on Nov. 13, about a month before the teenager’s murder. Edna police officers believe Romero may have been involved in the burglary and may have stalked Lizbeth before allegedly attacking and killing her.

“I’m still lost. I still feel like I don’t know what to do with my life.”

— Jacqueline Medina

“My whole life was my daughter,” Medina said. “And I’m still finding it very difficult to find myself, to find what direction I need to take in life. The only thing right now that is keeping me strong is the fact that we still need to get justice for her. Also, we’re trying to keep busy to gather funds … for her scholarship fund that we brought up for the cheerleaders in Edna. And we donate to specific child advocacy funds in her name.”

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The Edna Police Department is investigating Liz Medina’s death as capital murder. (Facebook)

Medina said she wants her daughter to be remembered for the kind and accomplished young woman she was rather than for her tragic death.

“But at the same time, I do want everybody to hear her story so they can understand why things need to change,” Medina said. “That’s the only way people will know why we want things changed.”

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Romero’s trial is scheduled to begin on Dec. 3 in Jackson County, Texas.

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A trial for Jose Ibarra, the illegal immigrant suspect in the February murder of Georgia college student Laken Riley, begins this week. Medina said she will watch Ibarra’s trial and keep Riley’s family in her thoughts.

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Los Angeles, Ca

LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture

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LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture

Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.

Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.

Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.

  • Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood.
  • A sinkhole opened up on a sidewalk in West Hollywood following a water main break
  • Aerial view of flooded Metro buses.
  • Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood.
  • Water floods out of an apartment in West Hollywood
  • A broken water main floods a parking garage in West Hollywood
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Residents stand with luggage and a dog at the entrance to an apartment parking garage as floodwaters from a water main break rush through a West Hollywood street.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • A broken water main floods the streets of West Hollywood

“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”

The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.

A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.

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The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.

“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.

The two men appeared to be uninjured.

As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.

LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.

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The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues

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Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.

Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.

On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.

Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.

Meah Bordenave-Jenkins and Eric Washington are pictured in a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department bulletin. (LASD)

Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.

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“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.

The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.

Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.

Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.

Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.

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Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.

  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration

Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.

The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.

“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.

“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”

The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.

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At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.

Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.

The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.

Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.

Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.

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Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.

The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.

They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars

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Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars

A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]

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