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.
LAKEN RILEY’S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ‘AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY’ AFTER DAUGHTER’S FUNERAL
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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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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