Police in Edna, Texas, have arrested a suspect in the death of 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina, whose body was discovered in a bathtub in her home by her mother last week, ABC News Houston reported. However, to learn that the suspect, Rafael Govea Romero, was an illegal alien, one had to go eleven paragraphs deep into the KTRK Houston story.
Police said Romero, 23, is accused of stabbing Medina to death and was charged with suspicion of capital murder in the killing of the young girl, who was a high school cheerleader. Cause of death was determined to be stabbing.
Romero was arrested in a joint effort by Edna Police and the Texas Rangers in Schulenburg, Texas, Edna Police Chief Rick Boone said in a statement Sunday.
Authorities said Medina was supposed to perform in a Christmas parade with the rest of her cheerleading Squad on Tuesday, December 4, however, she never showed up at the event. When her mother returned home, she found her daughter’s lifeless body in the bathtub of their apartment.
Romero was arrested the day after the Edna Police Department released security photos of Romero as a “person of interest,” along with pictures of a suspect vehicle. The suspect was described as possibly having a tattoo behind his right ear and was seen in the images wearing a black Volcom-branded hooded sweatshirt.
The family has since stated that they have never seen or heard of Romero. They're still searching for answers and a motive in the young girl's murder.
“We had a really evil person apprehended and he’s off the streets,” Ana Medina, aunt of the victim, said. “We don’t want him to see the light of day… I know that my niece did not die in vain, because this person is a monster.”
Boone said police received information on Romero’s whereabouts on Saturday evening. He said a team of officers from the Edna PD and the Texas Rangers went to a home in Schulenburg, where the homeowner confirmed Romero was at that location. The team of police officers moved in and arrested Romero.
“Officers seized a motor vehicle and items of evidence tending to connect this suspect Romero to the murder of Lizbeth Medina,” Boone said in a statement. He did not, however, disclose the nature of the evidence linked to Romero.
Romero was booked at the Jackson County Jail and is being held on a $2 million bond set by a magistrate.
In his statement, Boone described Romero as an “undocumented male subject,” otherwise known as an illegal alien. He further said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on Romero, who was in the country illegally on an expired visa.
As Romero was being taken into custody, a vigil was held by Lizbeth Medina’s classmates and residents of Edna at a gazebo outside the Jackson County Courthouse.
“Although Romero is apprehended, we recognized Lizbeth’s family and friends are grieving and still need support from the community, Chief Boone said. “The citizens of Edna can now sleep in peace.”
It is unknown if there was a previous relationship between Lizbeth and Romero, police said, nor is it known if it was a random incident.
As of publication, police have not released the circumstances surrounding Lizbeth’s death, nor has an autopsy report been released.
Lizbeth’s mother, Jacqueline Medina, said her family moved to Edna, 25 miles northeast of Victoria in southeast Texas last year.
She told reporters her daughter was honored before her high school’s football game last week, where her cheerleading squad teammates and her family wore purple–Lizbeth’s favorite color.
“My head is just spinning everywhere, and I just want answers,” Jacqueline Medina told KTRK before the game. “I want justice.”
Lizbeth had a “kind heart,” her mother said, and would give someone the shirt off her back.
“You took an angel from me, and not only from me, from a lot of people who loved her,” Jacqueline Medina said.
She told KPRC 2 that Lizbeth “loved everybody.”
“She loved everybody. She cared for everybody,” she said. “She loved cheerleading. When I would watch her, I would just see her face glow.”
Jacqueline said the day her daughter was murdered started as “a normal day like every other day.” She said she last spoke to her daughter that morning.
After confirming with a friend at the parade that she had not seen Lizbeth, Jacqueline went home to investigate when she found her daughter.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect her,” she said.
A family member said there was no sign of forced entry at the house. Jacqueline said there had been a break-in at the apartment a couple of weeks before; however, it was just “petty stuff” that was stolen. She doesn’t believe the two incidents are connected.
“I wanted to protect her from the world. And I’m just enraged that I couldn’t protect her in her own home,” Jacqueline Medina said.
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