EXCLUSIVE — The mom of a 16-year-old Texas lady who was brutally murdered, allegedly by an unlawful immigrant from Mexico, in her own residence final December says Trump’s victory final week made her tear up.
“When I heard the news in the morning that he won, I teared up,” Jacqueline Medina advised Fox Information Digital. “I teared up because I thought about my daughter. The Biden-Harris administration failed us terribly.”
Medina’s “beautiful, loving, bubbly, funny” 16-year-old daughter, Lizbeth Medina, was murdered on Dec. 5, 2023. Rafael Govea Romero, the 24-year-old man charged with capital homicide in reference to the assault, is scheduled to face trial subsequent month.
“With [Trump] winning, I’m really hoping that there are stricter laws so we can protect our kids, our children, our families, our loved ones from this happening to them again,” Medina mentioned.
TEXAS TEEN LIZBETH MEDINA MURDER: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MURDER SUSPECT RAFAEL GOVEA ROMERO
Jacqueline Medina got here dwelling to seek out her daughter, Lizbeth Medina, 16, lifeless within the bathtub of their dwelling on Dec. 5, 2023. (Instagram)
Medina mentioned she is aware of stricter insurance policies will not deliver again her daughter, however she is hoping they’ll “prevent this from happening to another child.”
“We don’t want another Lizbeth. We don’t want another Laken Riley.”
Medina had left their condo for work early on Dec. 5, 2023. Her daughter sometimes left for varsity shortly afterward, however that day she didn’t make it to highschool or the Christmas parade that her cheer group was speculated to be practising for.
A Jackson County grand jury indicted Rafael Govea Romero on a capital homicide cost in connection to Lizbeth Medina’s stabbing dying. (FOX 26 Houston)
When Medina confirmed as much as the Christmas parade and didn’t see her daughter, she knew one thing was flawed and frantically contacted family and friends for assist discovering the 16-year-old lady.
Medina returned dwelling that night after nobody had heard from or seen Lizbeth and located her lifeless with an obvious stab wound within the bathtub of their Edna condo.
Edna police arrested Romero in Schulenburg, Texas, 5 days after Lizbeth’s dying, in response to authorities.
Jacqueline Medina hopes Trump’s election win will assist forestall different households from going by way of what her household endured when Lizbeth was killed. (Fb)
Romero had a legal historical past in Texas and was on probation on the time of his arrest in connection to Lizbeth’s homicide, Edna Police Chief Rick Boone beforehand advised Fox Information Digital.
The homicide suspect was reportedly on probation for a 2022 housebreaking in Schulenburg, about 60 miles from Edna, the Fayette County File first reported. Edna police mentioned Romero can also be tied to a housebreaking that occurred at Lizbeth’s dwelling a couple of month earlier than her killing.
TEXAS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT INDICTED ON CAPITAL MURDER CHARGE IN CHEERLEADER’S BEATING, STABBING DEATH
The Edna Police Division introduced the arrest of Rafael Govea Romero, an “undocumented male” who officers imagine is “the person responsible for the death of Lizbeth Medina.” (Edna Police Division)
Neither Medina nor Lizbeth knew Romero, however Medina famous that their home had been burglarized on Nov. 13, a couple of month earlier than {the teenager}’s homicide. Edna law enforcement officials imagine Romero might have been concerned within the housebreaking and will have stalked Lizbeth earlier than allegedly attacking and killing her.
“I’m still lost. I still feel like I don’t know what to do with my life.”
“My whole life was my daughter,” Medina mentioned. “And I’m still finding it very difficult to find myself, to find what direction I need to take in life. The only thing right now that is keeping me strong is the fact that we still need to get justice for her. Also, we’re trying to keep busy to gather funds … for her scholarship fund that we brought up for the cheerleaders in Edna. And we donate to specific child advocacy funds in her name.”
The Edna Police Division is investigating Liz Medina’s dying as capital homicide. (Fb)
Medina mentioned she desires her daughter to be remembered for the sort and completed younger girl she was fairly than for her tragic dying.
“But at the same time, I do want everybody to hear her story so they can understand why things need to change,” Medina mentioned. “That’s the only way people will know why we want things changed.”
Romero’s trial is scheduled to start on Dec. 3 in Jackson County, Texas.
A trial for Jose Ibarra, the unlawful immigrant suspect within the February homicide of Georgia school pupil Laken Riley, begins this week. Medina mentioned she’s going to watch Ibarra’s trial and preserve Riley’s household in her ideas.
