The mother of 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina, who was allegedly murdered by an illegal Mexican immigrant in December 2023, says requests for an insanity test on the suspect will only “add to the pain.”
Rafael Gobert Romero, 25, was arrested on December 5, 2023, after Lizbeth was found dead of stab wounds in the bathroom of the Edna, Texas, apartment she shared with her mother. was charged with capital murder.
“I was broken. I was completely broken,” Lisbeth's mother, Jacqueline Medina, told Fox News Digital when she saw his request for an insanity test. told his reaction. Victoria Advocate first reported.
“To me, there's clearly enough evidence to establish the facts … that he knew what he was doing,” Medina said. “One of the officers said he looked like a professional.”
Mr. Medina left his apartment for work in the early morning hours of December 5, 2023. My daughter usually went to school right after that, but that day she couldn't go to school or to the Christmas parade where the cheer squad was supposed to practice.
Medina hadn't heard from or seen Lisbeth that night, so when he returned home he found her dead in the bathtub of her apartment.
Edna police arrested Romero in Schulenberg, Texas, five days after Lisbeth's death.
The murder suspect was on probation for a 2022 robbery in Schulenburg, about 90 miles from Edna, Fayette County Records first reported.
Edna police said Romero may also have been involved in a robbery at Lisbeth's home about a month before the murder.
“Insanity charges only add to the pain and hurt that we are already experiencing,” Medina said. “And I was looking forward to this trial, and now it's been postponed.”
Romero was originally scheduled to go on trial in December, but the case was postponed to February, and Medina said she has not received any updates from the court on developments in the case.
“All I want…all I want is justice for my daughter. That's all I want. And the fact that this case is postponed so many times hurts me because… Because you ask yourself, did she have that chance? Did he give her that kind of mercy? Or a chance to live?” Medina said. “She had a right to life. She had a right to be safe in her home.”
Medina said she is looking forward to answers about her daughter's case, including why the judge granted Romero parole in the earlier robbery case.
Neither Medina nor Lizbeth knew Romero, but Medina indicated that her home had been burglarized on Nov. 13, about a month before the teen was killed.
Edna police believe Romero was involved in the robbery and may have stalked Lisbeth before attacking and killing her.
The grieving mother also said she stands with those who have lost children to suspected illegal immigrants this year, including Laken Riley's family.
The suspect in Riley's murder, Venezuelan José Ibarra, was found guilty on 13 November on 10 charges and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Lizbeth, Riley, and Rachel Morin in Maryland, Jocelyn Nangaray in Texas, Ruby Garcia in Michigan, and Maria Gonzalez in Texas are among the women and girls killed by illegal immigrants in the past two years. It is.
“I stand with all the mothers and fathers and all of them who are going through this like Riley's family and Jocelyn Nungarai's family,” Medina said. “We're all united by the same tragedy. We've seen the consequences for Laken Riley recently. And like I said, they'll never get her back. But they can prevent it. I could have done that. [The] The Biden and Harris administration has completely let us down and now I'm losing hope. ”
Romero's attorneys also argued that Edna Police Department officers searched and detained Romero without reasonable suspicion and searched his apartment without the suspect's consent, and filed a motion to suppress certain evidence. The Advocate reported that it had been submitted.
The suspect's attorney, Ross Reifel, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's inquiry. Romero is currently being held on $2 million bail in Jackson County.
