Suspect arrested in murder of 16-year-old Texas cheerleader

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Police have arrested a suspect in the murder of Lizbeth Medina, a sixteen-year-old Texas student and cheerleader.

Rafael Govea Romero, 23, was arrested on 9 December after police located him in Schulenberg, Texas, an hour north of Lizbeth’s hometown of Edna, Texas. Police seized a vehicle and “items of evidence tending to connect this suspect Romero to the murder of Lizbeth Medina,” according to a department press release.

Mr Romero is being held on a $2,000,000 bond. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have also placed a detainer on Mr Romero, which means the jail must hold him for an additional 48 hours after his release to provide ICE agents with time to decide if they will take him into federal custody.

The arrest comes four days after Jaqueline Medina found her daughter dead in their apartment on 5 December. Lizbeth’s aunt, Ana Medina, has launched a GoFundMe for the family. As of 12 December, donors have contributed more than $20,000.

Jaqueline told local outlet Crossroads Today she hopes there is justice for her daughter.

“Words can’t explain what I felt at that moment, finding my daughter in the matter that she was,” she said. “All I can say is that I hope with all my heart that there is justice with my daughter.”

Jaqueline said she hopes the community remembers her daughter’s exceptional qualities.

“I just want her to be remembered as the special little girl that she was,” she told Crossroads Today. “Loving, kind, and bighearted.”