Murder of Lizbeth Medina

Lizbeth Iniguez Medina was born March 28, 2007, in Grand Island, Nebraska. About a year before her death, her family moved to Edna, Texas, a small city near Victoria, where Lizbeth attended Edna High School and was a member of the cheerleading squad. Her mother, Jacqueline Medina, described her as someone who "loved everybody" and "cared for everybody."

On the evening of December 5, 2023, Jacqueline grew concerned when Lizbeth failed to appear at a Christmas parade where she was scheduled to perform with her school's cheer squad. Returning to the family's apartment at the Cottonwood Apartments on North Wells Street, Jacqueline found Lizbeth stabbed to death in the bathtub of the rear bedroom. Edna Police responded at approximately 6:55 p.m. A GoFundMe campaign organized by Lizbeth's aunt raised more than $21,000 to cover funeral costs and return her remains to Nebraska.

Investigators from the Edna Police Department, Texas Rangers, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, and Texas Department of Public Safety treated the case as a capital murder. Surveillance footage showed a silver Ford Taurus near the apartment complex the night before the killing, and a man running toward a vehicle the following morning. A neighbor reported hearing two loud sounds followed by a running shower inside the Medina apartment around 10:03 a.m. Police released images of a person of interest on December 8 and, following a tip, identified and located Rafael Govea Romero in Schulenburg on December 9. Edna Police Chief Rick Boone said he was "100 percent confident" Romero had committed the killing and that Romero had confessed. Investigators determined Romero had exhibited stalking-like behavior toward Medina in the weeks before her death and had also committed a burglary at the same apartment on November 13, 2023. He was found to have stolen Medina's cell phone from the crime scene, and location data from the phone assisted in tracking him. Romero, who had entered the U.S. on a work visa in 2018 and later overstayed, had a prior felony burglary charge from October 2022 in Schulenburg, resulting in a no-contest plea and probation in April 2023. He was arrested December 9, 2023, and held on a $2 million bond, with an ICE detainer placed on him.

A Jackson County grand jury indicted Romero on capital murder charges in February 2024, alleging the killing occurred during an attempted burglary, robbery, or aggravated sexual assault. His defense later sought a behavioral health evaluation for a possible insanity defense, which a judge rejected in February 2025 after finding him competent to stand trial. On September 25, 2025, Romero pleaded guilty to murder, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, and burglary of a habitation, receiving two concurrent life sentences plus a 20-year sentence, with parole eligibility after 30 years, and waived his appellate rights.

Jacqueline Medina said she had not been consulted on the plea deal and had sought a harsher sentence; the Jackson County District Attorney's Office disputed her account. An assistant district attorney drew criticism for comments suggesting cost considerations influenced the decision not to pursue the death penalty; the district attorney later apologized and said finances played no role. The case drew national political attention, including a reference by President Trump in a 2026 State of the Union address, with Jacqueline Medina attending as his guest to honor her daughter.