Texas illegal immigrant indicted on capital murder charge in cheerleader’s beating, stabbing death

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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.

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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.

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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.

Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.