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Illegal immigrant charged in cheerleader's murder 'knew what he was doing' despite latest claim, mom says

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Illegal immigrant charged in cheerleader's murder 'knew what he was doing' despite latest claim, mom says

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The mother of slain 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina, who was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant from Mexico in December 2023, says the suspect’s request for an insanity evaluation only “adds to the pain.”

Rafael Govea Romero, 25, is charged with capital murder after Lizbeth was found dead with stab wounds on Dec. 5, 2023, in the bathroom of the Edna, Texas, apartment she shared with her mother.

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“I broke down. I completely broke down,” Jacqueline Medina, Lizbeth’s mother, told Fox News Digital of her reaction to seeing his request for an insanity test, as local newspaper The Victoria Advocate first reported.

“For me, there’s enough evidence that is obviously determining the fact… he knew what he was doing,” Medina said. “One of the police officers said he seemed to be professional.”

TRUMP WIN MOVES SLAIN CHEERLEADER’S MOM TO TEARS AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT FACES MURDER TRIAL

Rafael Govea Romero, 25, is charged with capital murder in connection with the December 2023 death of 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina. (FOX 26 Houston)

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.

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Medina returned home that evening after no one had heard from or seen Lizbeth and found her dead in the bathtub of their apartment. Edna police arrested Romero in Schulenburg, Texas, five days after Lizbeth’s death.

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

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.

“The insanity plea just adds to the pain and to the hurt that we’re already going through,” Medina said. “And I was looking forward to this trial, and now it’s being pushed back.”

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Romero was initially scheduled to stand trial in December, but it has been rescheduled for February, and Medina said she is not receiving updates from the court regarding developments in the case. 

“[H]e came in and violated her rights… yet they want to talk about his rights, and that infuriates me.”

— Jacqueline Medina

“All I want… all I am begging for is justice for my daughter. That’s all I want, and the fact that this case will be pushed back and pushed back – it hurts me because I ask myself: Did my daughter get that chance? Did she get that chance? Did he give her that mercy? Or that chance to live?” Medina said. “She had the right to live. She had the right to be safe in her home.”

Edna police said the investigation into Lizbeth’s murder is ongoing, and authorities are taking particular care in releasing information to  media “to protect due process, follow ethical rules and avoid trial by press conference.” (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office)

Medina said she is eagerly awaiting answers in her daughter’s case, including why a judge previously released Romero on parole in his prior burglary case. 

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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.

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

Jacquelin Medina came home on Tuesday evening to find her daughter, Lizbeth “Liz” Medina, dead in the bathtub of their residence at the Cottonwood Apartments. (Facebook)

The grieving mother also said she stands with others who have lost their children to illegal immigrant suspects this year, including the family of Laken Riley. The suspect in Riley’s murder, Jose Ibarra, of Venezuela, was convicted on 10 counts and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Nov. 13. Lizbeth, Riley, Rachel Morin of Maryland, Jocelyn Nungaray of Texas, Ruby Garcia of Michigan and Maria Gonzalez of Texas are women and girls allegedly killed by illegal immigrants over the past two years.

“[The] Biden and the Harris administration failed us completely.”

— Jacqueline Medina

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“I stand with all the mothers and fathers who are going through this like and Riley’s family and Jocelyn Nungaray’s family – all of them,” Medina said. “We are all united by the same tragedies. I have recently seen Laken Riley’s outcome. And like I said, they will never get to have her back. But that could have been prevented. [The] Biden and the Harris administration failed us completely, and now I’m losing hope.”

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Romero’s defense team also filed a motion to suppress certain evidence, arguing Edna Police Department officers searched and detained Romero without reasonable suspicion, and they searched his apartment without consent from the suspect, the Advocate reported.

The suspect’s defense attorney, Ross Reifel, did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital. Romero is currently being held on $2 million bond in Jackson County.

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Trump reacts to NBC host Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy’s mysterious abduction

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Trump reacts to NBC host Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy’s mysterious abduction

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President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to personally call NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie and offer additional federal assistance following her mother’s apparent abduction in Tuscon, Arizona.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and was reported missing by her family around noon Sunday, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

While officials did not immediately elaborate on the circumstances of her disappearance, they said they believe Nancy Guthrie was either kidnapped or abducted, and noted blood was found outside the home.

During a Q&A session in the White House Oval Office Tuesday, Trump said he is considering sending additional federal agents to assist with the investigation.

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Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie pictured on “Today” in 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

‘MORNING JOE’ HOST FIGHTS BACK TEARS WHILE DISCUSSING NEWS OF SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’S MOTHER’S DISAPPEARANCE

“I think it’s terrible,” Trump said. “I’m going to call [Savannah Guthrie] later on. I think it’s a terrible thing. … Very unusual situation, but we’re going to find out.”

Despite the pair’s showdown in an October 2020 NBC town hall, Trump added, “I always got along very good with Savannah.”

During the Miami town hall, Savannah Guthrie pressed Trump on his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his social media reposts questioning Osama bin Laden’s death.

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At one point, she accused Trump of “sending a lie” to his followers, comparing him to “someone’s crazy uncle.”

NBC’S SAVANNAH GUTHRIE TO PULL OUT AS HOST OF WINTER OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY AS MOTHER REMAINS MISSING

While the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and FBI continue to investigate Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, officials on Tuesday confirmed they are “aware” of reports of a possible ransom note.

“We are aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI.”

An undated photo of Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie provided by NBC in repsonse to the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of the Today Show host. (Courtesy of NBC)

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SAVANNAH GUTHRIE ASKS FOR PRAYER AS HER MOTHER REMAINS MISSING: ‘WE NEED YOU’

News outlets TMZ and KOLD 13 News announced on Tuesday they received unverified ransom notes demanding money for Nancy Guthrie’s return.

The note received by TMZ reportedly demanded millions in Bitcoin cryptocurrency, with the outlet verifying the Bitcoin address was “real.” 

TMZ said the letter, which was sent to authorities, included unreleased details about her disappearance and had a deadline.

Exteriors of missing person Nancy Guthrie’s home on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, is suspected of being abducted from her home earlier this week. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

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It is unclear if the notes received by TMZ and KOLD are identical.

Anyone with information on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is asked to call the tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

NBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

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Arizona man accused of human smuggling shot by federal authorities after firing at helicopter, agents: FBI

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Arizona man accused of human smuggling shot by federal authorities after firing at helicopter, agents: FBI

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An Arizona man suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants was shot Tuesday by federal officers during a gunfire exchange Tuesday after he opened fire on a law enforcement helicopter, authorities said. 

The shooting happened around 7:30 a.m. near the town of Arivaca, Arizona, just miles from the southern border, after agents recognized a vehicle that belonged to a suspect related to a possible human trafficking incident from hours earlier in which everyone in the car fled during a stop, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters. 

Hours later, agents spotted the same vehicle and made another traffic stop. The suspect, identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, fled the vehicle on foot, Nanos said. 

NARRATIVES CLASH AFTER TRUMP AND VICTIM’S FAMILY REACT TO SECOND MINN,APOLIS ICE SHOOTING

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U.S. Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents from the Tucson Sector and Air and Marine Operations (AMO) participate in a demonstration of the rescue of a migrant lost in the Brown Canyon desert near Sasabe, Arizona. Authorities on Tuesday were investigating a shooting involving the Border Patrol in Arizona.  (HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

At one point, he allegedly shot at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter and at agents, said Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix Division.

“The individual fired at an Air and Marine Operations helicopter and fired at USBP agents,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Agents returned fire striking the driver.” 

Schlegal, a U.S. citizen from Arizona, was rendered aid and taken to a hospital where he was recovering after undergoing surgery. He is expected to survive. No one else was harmed, authorities said. 

Schlegal has a “significant criminal history,” Janke said, which includes an active federal arrest warrant issued in 2025 by the U.S. Marshals Service for an escape related to a previous federal alien smuggling conviction. 

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He is expected to be charged federally with assault on a federal officer, alien smuggling, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, authorities said. 

FORMER VIKINGS CAPTAIN SAYS MINNESOTA LIBERAL RESIST ICE BECAUSE ‘WE’RE DEPORTING THEIR VOTERS’

This photo shows a US Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, on January 15, 2019. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Nanos said he wasn’t sure if the Border Patrol agents involved in the shooting were wearing body cameras. He said multiple shots were fired, but was not sure how many. 

“In Pima County, we’re not tolerating any abuse of a law enforcement officer… any type of abuse, but that goes for our citizens as well,” the sheriff said. 

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the fire district, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security.

The sheriff’s department is conducting a parallel investigation and is leading the use-of-force investigation involving the agent, officials told the news outlet.

“Such requests are standard practice when a federal agency is involved in a shooting incident within Pima County and consistent with long-standing relationships built through time to promote transparency,” PCSD said. 

Tuesday’s shooting was the second involving Border Patrol personnel in recent days. Alex Pretti, 37, was fatally shot by USBP agents during a confrontation in Minnesota as federal authorities were conducting enforcement operations. 

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It also came weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent while allegedly attempting to ram him with her vehicle in Minneapolis. 

Both deaths have triggered citywide protests and unrest, and violent confrontations between federal authorities and anti-ICE agitators. 

In Pima County, Nanos said his department doesn’t enforce immigration law. Border Patrol agents fired weapons in eight incidents during the 12-month period through September 2025, 14 times during the year before that and 13 times the year before that, according to The Associated Press. 

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NASA research plane lands on belly, sending sparks flying, after ‘mechanical issue’

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NASA research plane lands on belly, sending sparks flying, after ‘mechanical issue’

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A NASA aircraft had to make a “gear-up landing” in Houston on Tuesday due to a mechanical problem, NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens noted in a post on X.

“Today, a mechanical issue with one of NASA’s WB-57s resulted in a gear-up landing at Ellington Field. Response to the incident is ongoing, and all crew are safe at this time,” she said in the Tuesday afternoon post. 

“As with any incident, a thorough investigation will be conducted by NASA into the cause. NASA will transparently update the public as we gather more information,” she added.

She issued a post on Wednesday noting that the crew members are doing well.

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WELL-KNOWN TEXAS ATTORNEY’S WIFE AMONG VICTIMS OF DEADLY PRIVATE JET CRASH IN MAINE

A NASA aircraft is shown making a “gear-up landing” at an airport in Houston following a mechanical issue on Tuesday, according to a NASA spokesperson. (Nevada Vazquez/@ IronHorseAviator via Storyful)

“Following standard medical evaluations at Ellington Field, both crew members aboard the WB-57 were cleared and are in good health. Both individuals are NASA employees. NASA operates three WB-57 aircraft; the one involved in today’s incident carries tail number NASA927. The aircraft departed Ellington Field for a routine training flight at approximately 10:19 a.m. CST and landed at approximately 11:19 a.m.,” Stevens noted in the post on Wednesday.

“NASA will lead a thorough investigation. Additional details will be provided once the investigation is complete. NASA anticipates no impact to Artemis II operations given the multiple aerial assets available to support, including the Gulfstream V, Gulfstream III, and a U.S. Navy C-20. These aircraft will provide imagery during key mission phases, including launch, entry, and splashdown,” her post noted.

Video footage of the episode captured smoke and what appeared to be bright fire and/or sparks flying as the plane slid across the runway.

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The Federal Aviation Administration noted, “A Martin WB-57 landed with its gear up at Ellington Airport in Houston around 11:25 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Two people were on board. The FAA will investigate.”

NASA ASTRONAUT WHO WAS STUCK IN SPACE RETIRES AFTER 27-YEAR CAREER

A pilot goes through a pre-flight safety inspection on a NASA WB-57 plane that will be flown during the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse and has been modified to be able to conduct experiments that will study the solar corona, on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Houston.  (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

The WB-57 has been performing research missions for decades, according to the NASA Airborne Science Program website.

“The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas is the home of the NASA WB-57 High Altitude Research Program,” the site notes. “The WB-57 is a mid-wing, long-range aircraft capable of operation for extended periods of time from sea level to altitudes in excess of 63,000 feet.”

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A NEW WAY OF COMMUTING IS CLOSER TO TAKING OFF IN THE US

A NASA WB-57 plane that has been modified to conduct experiments that will study the solar corona during the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse, prepares for a practice flight at Ellington Airport on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

“The aircraft have been flying research missions since the early 1970’s, and continue to be an asset to the scientific community with professional, reliable, customer-oriented service designed to meet all scientific objectives,” the website states.

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