The accused in the murder of a Texas cheerleader has allegedly confessed to his crime after being arrested, police said.
Rafael Govea Romero, 23, was arrested in Schulenberg, about 50 miles to the north of Edna. He stands accused of murdering 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina. She was found dead in her bathtub by her mom, Jacqueline Medina, on December 5.
Edna Police announced they had arrested ‘undocumented male’ Rafael Govea Romero as a suspect over the weekend.
He has been charged with capital murder and has a $2 million bond. Due to his visa status, Immigration and Customs Enforcement have detained the accused; therefore, he cannot post bond.
Chief Rick Boone said they were ‘100% confident’ that the illegal immigrant had committed the crime.
‘He confessed to the crime,’ Boone told Victoria Advocate.
Officials also confirmed that Romero is an undocumented migrant from Mexico and has lived in the US for the past five years. They did not clarify if Romero entered the country with a valid visa or when his status expired.
Rafael Govea Romero, 23, has allegedly confessed to murdering 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina
The popular 16-year-old was due to take part in a Christmas Parade with her Edna High School cheer squad on the day she died
Police have not released any more information about Romero’s alleged confession and are investigating whether he knew the deceased teen or if they had any relationship
Police have not released any more information about Romero’s alleged confession and are investigating whether he knew the deceased teen or if they had any prior relationship.
The teen’s family said they had never heard of Romero.
Jacqueline described last week the horrific moment she discovered her daughter’s body at the Cottonwood Apartments home they shared.
She had woken her daughter as she left for work at 6am on Tuesday because Lizbeth needed to join her Edna High School teammates for cheer practice ahead of the parade that afternoon.
But when Jacqueline went to the parade after work her daughter was not there and she discovered that no-one had heard from her since 7.30am.
‘I decided to go look for her, and I kept calling her phone nonstop, and it would take me straight to voicemaiI,’ she told Fox News.
‘I called a bunch of people and nobody knew anything. It wasn’t until I walked into the restroom that I was on the phone with my friend asking him to come help me look for her – is when I [saw] her foot, and it was in the bathtub.
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‘And so I opened the curtains. There she was.’
Lizbeth, who also went by Liz, was a junior at Edna High School and planned to attend Arlington University to study nursing.
A conviction of capital murder in the state of Texas is defined as a capital felony which is punishable by life imprisonment, the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole
‘It was the most horrible way a mother could find her child. She was murdered in cold blood,’ Jacquelin said
Police initially released security footage of the man they were looking for on Friday wearing a black ‘Volcom’ sweatshirt
The small community of Edna, home to around 6,000 people, has been shaken by the killing, and the Edna football team and community honored Lizbeth by wearing purple ribbons and shirts at a game on Thursday, while a vigil was held for her in the town on Saturday.
‘It was the most horrible way a mother could find her child. She was murdered in cold blood,’ Jacquelin told KHOU.
‘It should have been a great day because she was involved in the Christmas parade. She was going to be with the cheer squad.
‘I lost it. She was my world, my everything. Everything I do was for her. Someone dared to go in and just rip my daughter away from me, it just kills me.
‘I just want answers to why they would do this to an amazing little girl who would never hurt anyone, wouldn’t dare to hurt anyone.’
He ran towards a silver Ford Taurus he was thought to have driven off in
‘I just want answers to why they would do this to an amazing little girl who would never hurt anyone, wouldn’t dare to hurt anyone,’ Lizbeth’s mother said
A GoFundMe appeal for the family had raised more than $15,000 as of Sunday morning, and a Facebook page: Justice for Lizbeth Medina has attracted more than 200 members.
Previously, Romero had been charged with felony burglary of a habitation in October 2022 in Schulenburg, according to Texas DPS records.
In April 2023, he pleaded no contest and was given five years probation and a $2,000 fine.
A conviction of capital murder in the state of Texas is defined as a capital felony that is punishable by life imprisonment, the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.
