Southwest
Texas teen Lizbeth Medina murder suspect pleads not guilty, looks 'forward to his trial,' attorney says
Rafael Govea Romero, the suspect in Texas 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina’s December 2023 murder, is pleading not guilty, according to his attorney.
Romero, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, is accused of stalking the Edna High School cheerleader before allegedly striking her over the head and stabbing her in the apartment that she shared with her mother on Dec. 5.
“He entered a plea of not guilty. We look forward to his trial to defend his case. He is innocent,” said Romero’s defense attorney, Chris Iles, after the suspect was arraigned in Jackson County Court on Thursday.
A Jackson County grand jury in February indicted Romero on a capital murder charge in connection with Medina’s death. Medina was found in the bathtub of her apartment with “smeared blood on the sides of her and what appeared to be a stab wound to the upper stomach area,” according to a police affidavit previously obtained by Fox News Digital.
TEXAS TEEN LIZBETH MEDINA MURDER: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT RAFAEL ROMERO
A Jackson County grand jury indicted Rafael Romero on a capital murder charge in connection to Lizbeth Medina’s Dec. 5, 2023, stabbing death. (FOX 26 Houston)
Police were able to locate the suspect on Dec. 10 in Schulenburg, Texas, using cellphone data and other evidence tying him to the crime scene.
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At the time of his arrest, Romero was on probation for a burglary in Schulenburg, about 60 miles from Edna, in 2022, as the Fayette County Record first reported.
The Edna Police Department arrested Rafael Govea Romero, an “undocumented male,” whom officials believe is “the person responsible for the death of Lizbeth Medina,” in Schulenburg, Texas. (Edna Police Department/Edna Police Department)
Edna police believe Romero may also be tied to a burglary that occurred at Medina’s home about a month before her stabbing death.
TEXAS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT INDICTED ON CAPITAL MURDER CHARGE IN CHEERLEADER’S BEATING, STABBING DEATH
The victim’s mother, Jacqueline Medina, left her apartment on the morning of Dec. 5 for work. Her daughter typically left for school afterward, but that day, she neither made it to school nor the Christmas parade that her cheer team was participating in.
Jacquelin Medina came home to find her daughter, Lizbeth “Liz” Medina, dead in the bathtub of their residence at the Cottonwood Apartments after she had not seen or heard from the 16-year-old that afternoon. (Facebook)
Jacqueline went to the parade, expecting to see her daughter, but when she could not find Lizbeth anywhere, she began reaching out to friends and family for help tracking down the 16-year-old. Later that evening, Jacqueline found her daughter dead in their bathtub.
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The grieving mother said neither she nor her daughter knew Romero but 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 that burglary and may have stalked Lizbeth before allegedly attacking and killing her.
The Edna Police Department is investigating Liz Medina’s death as capital murder. (Facebook)
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston “lodged an immigration detainer with the Jackson County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office on Rafael Govea-Romero, 24, Mexico, following his arrest for capital murder.”
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ICE ERO lodges immigration detainers against noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody as part of the agency’s mission to identify and arrest removable illegal immigrants, according to ICE.
Romero’s arraignment was held in Jackson County on Thursday, but the defendant waived his right to appear in person, according to the Jackson County Herald-Tribune.
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A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.
The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024.
Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.
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Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. The alleged gunman is circled. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, was arrested and extradited to the U.S. from Mexico on June 2, 2026, in connection with a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles. (California Highway Patrol)
Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan.
The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.
In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.
The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.
The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved.
Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”
On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge.
“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
The northbound 405 Freeway will remain closed for several hours near Los Angeles International Airport after a police pursuit ended with officers opening fire Friday morning. Unconfirmed reports indicated the incident began with a robbery at a 7-Eleven store, which ended with Los Angeles Police Department officers pursuing the suspect in a Kia. The chase […]
The victim in a bizarre and deadly stabbing in Tarzana has been identified as 81-year-old character actor James Handy, best known for a recent role in Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick.” The stabbing happened around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 19200 block of Erwin Street in the West Valley area. Officers responded after receiving a […]
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