Southwest
Texas illegal immigrant indicted on capital murder charge in cheerleader's beating, stabbing death
A Texas grand jury has indicted the illegal immigrant suspect in a 16-year-old girl’s brutal killing on capital murder charges.
The indictment obtained by Fox News Digital says Rafael Govea Romero, 23, intentionally caused Lizbeth Medina’s death while in the course of attempting to commit a burglary, robbery or sexual assault.
The document also alleges Romero killed Medina by causing the teenager’s “head to strike a firm surface,” “striking” her head “with a hard object” and “repeatedly stabbing or cutting” her “with a sharp object or edged weapon.”
“It’s very disturbing to me,” Lizbeth’s mother, Jacqueline Medina, told Fox News Digital of the indictment, adding she thinks the grand jury handed down the capital murder charge because of “all the evidence and all the other details” in the case.
TEXAS TEEN FOUND STABBED IN BATHTUB LIKELY STALKED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT WHO TEXTED HER FRIENDS: POLICE
Jacqueline Medina came home Dec. 5 to find her daughter, Lizbeth “Liz” Medina, dead in the bathtub of their home after she had not seen or heard from the 16-year-old that afternoon. (Instagram)
Jacqueline also said she plans to be part of the justice process every step of the way.
“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 said.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT IN TEXAS CHEERLEADER MURDER HELD ON ICE DETAINER
Lizbeth Media was staying home from school Dec. 5, but her friends and family did not notice anything out of the ordinary until she failed to show up at a Christmas parade that her cheerleading team was marching in that afternoon.
The Edna Police Department arrested Rafael Govea Romero, an “undocumented male” officials believe is “the person responsible for the death of Lizbeth Medina” in Schulenburg. (Edna Police Department)
Jacqueline, who attended the parade after work to support her daughter but never saw her there, immediately began reaching out to Lizbeth’s friends to find out where she was.
When she arrived home later that day, she found Lizbeth dead in the bathtub of their Edna apartment with her foot sticking out from behind a shower curtain.
TEXAS CHEERLEADER, 16, FOUND DEAD IN APARTMENT BATHTUB BELIEVED MURDERED: ‘I DON’T UNDERSTAND’
Days later, when the Edna Police Department named Romero as a suspect in her murder, Jacqueline told Fox News Digital that the man had no relation to her daughter or their family.
Jacqueline Medina came home to find her daughter, Lizbeth “Liz” Medina, dead in the bathtub of their home at the Cottonwood Apartments after she hadn’t seen or heard from the 16-year-old that afternoon. (Facebook)
Police determined their apartment had been burglarized Nov. 13, about a month before the teenager’s murder.
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Jacqueline previously told Fox News Digital she didn’t make the connection at first. She and Lizbeth had noticed little things that were going missing from their apartment for some time. On Nov. 13, they reported the missing belongings to police because some larger items had disappeared.
“I believe the burglary from 11/13/2023 could have a connection with the murder suspect,” an Edna officer wrote in an affidavit at the time. “I believed the suspect of this murder was at large and a present danger to the community.”
Police determined Jacqueline and Lizbeth’s Edna apartment had been burglarized Nov. 13, about a month before the teenager’s murder. (Jacqueline Medina)
Edna authorities also indicated Romero may have stolen Lizbeth’s phone after the murder. Lizbeth’s boyfriend tracked the 16-year-old’s location to an area about a half mile away from her apartment using his smartphone the day of her murder.
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The following day, Lizbeth’s cousin saw that her Snapchat sent to the victim had been opened, indicating that someone was using her phone after her death.
Within an hour of reporting the suspicious phone activity to Edna Police, authorities were able to track the geolocation of Lizbeth’s phone to the suspect in Schulenburg, Texas, about an hour’s drive from Edna, where they arrested Romero.
A Jackson County grand jury handed down the capital murder indictment this week. (Facebook)
The suspect’s bond was set at $2 million after his arrest.
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Jacqueline said she still has many questions about what happened to her daughter and why the suspect allegedly targeted the 16-year-old, and she awaits answers as Romero’s case plays out in court.
“I kind of want to know, just to have closure,” she said.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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