Torrey Holston and Jose Garcia Romero were convicted in the 2019 killing of the Coral Springs-Parkland firefighter.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The murder case that began when Christopher Randazzo was found outside a Lauderdale-by-the-Sea resort in 2019 is nearing sentencing after two men were convicted in his robbery and shooting death.
The case now stands at the edge of its punishment phase. Torrey Holston, 26, and Jose Garcia Romero, 27, face mandatory life sentences after a Broward jury found them guilty in May. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty at trial. Defense questions about the verdict, including the jury’s firearm findings and the decision to try the men together, are expected to shape any post-trial fight.
The first stage of the case began before sunrise on Oct. 19, 2019, near the Southern Seas Resort. Randazzo, 39, had left Aruba Beach Cafe after a bartending shift and was off duty from his job as a Coral Springs-Parkland firefighter and paramedic. A woman later found him lying in front of the hotel and called 911, telling the dispatcher that her husband thought he was dead. Investigators said Randazzo had been shot and robbed. His shoes, phone, wallet and keys were missing. Prosecutors later said the stolen property included red Nike sneakers, an iPhone, car keys and a wallet with $55 inside.
The second stage came with arrests and indictments. Holston, then 19, and Romero, then 20, were arrested in the weeks after the killing. Marco Rico, then 32, was also arrested in connection with the case. A Broward County grand jury indicted Holston and Romero on first-degree murder charges in November 2019. Prosecutors also charged them with armed robbery and criminal conspiracy. Rico was charged separately as an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and with criminal conspiracy. He later pleaded guilty in 2020, leaving Holston and Romero as the two defendants who would face trial on the central murder allegations.
The third stage took years. The case moved through Broward County court as the defendants remained charged in a capital homicide case. By the time testimony began in 2026, Holston and Romero were in their mid-20s, and Randazzo’s family had waited more than six years for jurors to hear the evidence. Broward County Circuit Judge Michael A. Usan presided. Prosecutors built the trial around a robbery theory, saying Randazzo was killed after the defendants took property from him and returned because the phone was locked. The defense challenged the state’s proof and questioned whether prosecutors could establish each man’s role beyond a reasonable doubt.
The trial’s most detailed account came from Cheyenne Papach, who testified that she was with Holston, Romero and Rico on the night of the killing. Papach had been dating Rico. She said she and Rico were on the beach while Holston and Romero were away from them. When the group came back together at Rico’s Nissan Sentra, she said the men had stolen shoes and a phone from someone. She said the phone was locked, prompting a return to the place where the robbery happened. Papach testified that Randazzo was on the ground and not fully coherent when Holston and Romero demanded the phone password from him.
Her testimony included statements prosecutors used to show state of mind. Papach said Holston later said, “I can’t believe I caught a body,” and that he was smiling about it. Prosecutors also said Holston had described the gun as a military weapon and had spoken before the shooting about robbing and shooting the victim. The state argued those comments, together with the missing property, scene evidence and witness timeline, showed the defendants were responsible for murder during a robbery. Defense lawyers tested the reliability of the testimony, pointing to the years that had passed and the witness’s relationship with Rico, who had already resolved his own charges.
Other evidence addressed what investigators found after the shooting. A Broward Sheriff’s Office detective testified about responding to the scene and collecting evidence from Randazzo’s body. Jurors were shown exhibits tied to the investigation. The evidence included bullet casings found near the scene and items that tested positive for suspect DNA. Prosecutors also used surveillance evidence to help place the defendants near the area. The trial did not turn on one piece of evidence alone. It asked jurors to put together the stolen items, the beachside movement of the group, Papach’s account, forensic testing and the physical condition in which Randazzo was discovered.
The jury’s decision brought convictions, but also a legal issue likely to follow the case. The panel found Holston and Romero guilty of murder, yet did not find them guilty of possessing or discharging a firearm. Judge Usan said the verdict showed jurors were clear and unanimous about both men’s involvement, while perhaps unable to decide who the actual shooter was. Romero’s attorney, Jim Lewis, said the finding was troubling and argued that trying the men together hurt his client. He said Romero was never alleged to have carried the gun in the incident. Lewis said an appeal was being considered after the verdict.
The verdict also brought public statements from Randazzo’s family. Bobby Randazzo said relatives had been waiting since October 2019 for justice and finally had closure. He said the defendants had ruined their own families, while noting that their relatives could still see and speak with them. Another family member said the trial was something they would never forget because it gave them facts instead of years of imagining what happened. After the verdict, the family said it planned to visit Randazzo’s gravesite. In the courtroom, Holston was seen mouthing “I love you,” blowing a kiss and making a heart shape with his hands while handcuffed.
Randazzo’s death remains tied to both the resort scene and his short fire rescue career. He had earned his firefighter certification and paramedic license in 2018 and was hired by the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department about seven months before he was killed. The robbery happened while he was off duty, after work at his second job. For prosecutors, those facts framed a late-night killing for a small set of personal belongings. For his family and colleagues, they marked the loss of a first responder whose new career had only begun.
The next court date is expected in June, when Holston and Romero are scheduled for sentencing. After that, the case could move into appeals focused on trial issues, the verdict form and the evidence jurors used to convict them.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.