A Texas mother is enraged after discovering that the man accused of viciously killing her 16-year-old daughter has accepted a plea agreement that will permit him to be released after serving his sentence.

Lizbeth Medina, a high school cheerleader with dreams of becoming a nurse, was discovered deceased in the bathtub of her Edna home by her mother, Jacqueline Medina, on December 5, 2023. 

Rafael Govea Romero, a Mexican national residing in the U.S. with an expired visa, was subsequently arrested and charged with capital murder in relation to the heinous crime.

Following his arrest, he was placed on an ICE detainer as officials learned of his illegal status.

Romero’s trial was originally set for later this year, but on Thursday, he pleaded guilty and accepted a deal from prosecutors in Jackson County. 

He accepted two life sentences – one for murder and the other for aggravated robbery – in addition to a 20-year sentence for burglary, to be served afterward. 

However, under Texas law, Romero will be eligible for parole after 30 years.  

Now, even as parole is not guaranteed, Jacqueline said just granting her daughter’s killer the possibility is unacceptable.

‘Hearing this plea deal made me understand that we can just throw it out, throw any case out, just give a plea deal… like if it was nothing,’ she told The Independent.

‘Lizbeth wasn’t just a name that everybody’s hearing,’ she added. ‘She was a person. She was my daughter. She was my everything, my world.’

Jacqueline said that she first learned about the ‘sweetheart’ deal on Monday. 

She also said that after learning of the deal, she and her attorney attempted to meet with Assistant District Attorney Stephen Tyler and District Attorney Pam Guenther, but both allegedly refused to see her.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the Jackson County Criminal District Attorney’s Office defended the plea agreement.

‘This was the only offer ever discussed or conveyed and was discussed with all parties for over six months,’ the statement read. 

‘The Jackson County Criminal District Attorney’s Office takes all crime seriously, particularly crime against persons, and especially murder. Any media reports to the contrary were at best premature.’

Romero was located in Schulenburg – about 60 miles from the crime scene – after local police received a tip, several days after the slain cheerleader was discovered.

According to court documents, he later confessed to the murder, and investigators uncovered evidence that he had exhibited stalking-like behavior in the days leading up to the crime.

Surveillance footage captured a silver car driving through the Cottonwood Apartments complex – where Lizbeth and her mother lived – around 10 p.m. the night before the 16-year-old was found. 

Police now believe that car was connected to Romero.

A month earlier, on November 13, there had been a burglary at the same apartment, which investigators have also linked to Romero.

On the day of the murder, Lizbeth failed to show up to a Christmas parade with her cheer squad, with her teammates claiming they hadn’t heard from the teen since 7:30 that morning. 

Following the news and several unanswered phone calls, her mother went home to check on Lizbeth – only to find her daughter brutally stabbed in the bathtub.

Romero, then just 23 years old, had a prior criminal history. 

Texas Department of Public Safety records show he was charged with felony burglary of a habitation in Schulenburg in October 2022. He pleaded no contest in April 2023 and was sentenced to five years probation and fined $2,000, The Independent reported.