Texas high school cheerleader Lizbeth Medina was stabbed to death and left in her bathtub by an undocumented immigrant living in the US on an expired visa, police said.
Rafael Govea Romero, 23, was arrested Saturday on a capital murder charge in the killing of the 16-year-old Edna High School student last week.
Romero’s bond has been set by a magistrate at $2 million.
Police and Texas Rangers acting on a tip went to Romero’s family home in the small town of Schulenburg, about 95 miles west of Houston, and took him into custody.
Detectives also seized evidence from Romero’s silver Ford Taurus they claimed linked him to Medina’s killing, but they did not say what that evidence was, reported station KTRK.
No motive has been released for the deadly stabbing, and cops have not said whether Romero and Medina knew each other.
Edna Police Chief Rick Boone said Romero has been in the US illegally after overstaying his visa. His family has reportedly lived in Schulenburg for about five years.
Romero has been detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because of his undocumented status, according to the Edna police.
The Post reached out to ICE for comment Monday and was still awaiting a reply at press time.
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Medina was found dead in her bathtub on Dec. 5 by her mother, Jacqueline Medina, who became alarmed when her daughter failed to show up for Edna’s annual Christmas parade, where she was supposed to march with her cheer squad.
“My daughter was found in a way that no mother should ever find their child,” Medina previously told the station KAVU. “Someone hurt my child, someone took my child from me.”
The grieving mom said a few weeks earlier someone had broken into their home at the Cottonwood Apartments, and she wondered if the same intruder may have tried to pull off another heist but was caught in the act by Lizbeth.
Police released surveillance video of the suspect, who was seen wearing a black Volcom sweatshirt and had a distinctive tattoo behind his right ear.
Lizbeth was honored before her school’s football game Thursday night, where her fellow cheerleaders and family members donned purple — the teenager’s favorite color.
“My head is just spinning everywhere, and I just want answers, I want justice,” her anguished mom told KTRK.
Medina described her daughter as “bubby” and “happy.
“We grew up together. I had her when I was only 16,” Medina told the station. “It was just her and I against the world, and they took her from me.”
Edna is located about 100 miles southwest of Houston.
