Texas teen Lizbeth Medina murder: What to know about illegal immigrant suspect Rafael Romero

Rafael Govea Romero, the suspect in Texas 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina’s December 2023 murder, is set to be arraigned Thursday in Jackson County.

Romero, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, is accused of stalking the high school cheerleader and aspiring nurse before allegedly striking her over the head and stabbing her in the Edna apartment that she shared with her mother.

A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 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.”

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.

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Romero had a criminal background in Texas and was on probation at the time of his arrest in connection to Lizbeth’s murder, Edna Police Chief Rick Boone told Fox News Digital.

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The murder suspect was reportedly on probation for a burglary in Schulenburg, Texas, about 60 miles from Edna, in 2022, as the Fayette County Record first reported. Edna police believe Romero may also be tied to a burglary that occurred at Lizbeth’s home about a month before her killing.

A Jackson County grand jury in February indicted Romero on a capital murder charge in connection with Lizbeth’s murder.

Edna police initially arrested Romero in Schulenburg, five days after Lizbeth was found dead 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. Police were able to locate the suspect thanks to cellphone data and other evidence tying him to the crime scene.

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The victim’s mother, Jacqueline Medina, had left their apartment early on 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 supposed to be practicing for. 

Jacqueline went to the parade, expecting to see her daughter, but when she couldn’t 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.

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The grieving mother, who lived in Nebraska before moving to Texas for work, 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 the burglary and may have stalked Lizbeth before allegedly attacking and killing her.

“I believe the burglary from 11/13/2023 could have a connection with the murder suspect,” an Edna officer wrote in the affidavit. “I believed the suspect of this murder was at large and a present danger to the community. I was especially concerned that the person believed to be the murder suspect was texting other high school students, leading me to believe the suspect was targeting students.”

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“Furthermore, I believe the public was in danger due to the stalking-like behavior displayed by the suspect via the potential connection of the 11/13/2023 burglary and driving through the apartment complex on 12/4/2023.”

Romero’s arraignment is scheduled for Thursday. Fox News Digital reached out to his defense attorney for comment.