Christopher Randazzo was killed after leaving a bartending shift in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea in 2019.
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Christopher Randazzo’s relatives sat through a week of testimony before a Broward jury convicted two men in the 2019 robbery and killing of the off-duty firefighter near a Lauderdale-by-the-Sea resort.
The verdict gave Randazzo’s family the first final answer in a case that began before dawn on Oct. 19, 2019, when he was found shot outside the Southern Seas Resort. Torrey Holston and Jose Garcia Romero were convicted after prosecutors told jurors the firefighter was targeted for his iPhone, red Nike sneakers, wallet and keys. The family described the decision as long-awaited justice, though sentencing and potential appeals remain.
Bobby Randazzo, Christopher Randazzo’s brother, said the family had been waiting since the month of the killing to hear the word “guilty” in court. He said they were ecstatic after the verdict and could finally begin to put the case to rest. Another family member said the testimony was awful but gave relatives facts they had spent years trying to understand. The family had followed the case through arrests, indictments, pretrial hearings and trial delays. During the trial, Randazzo’s elderly father was among the relatives in the courtroom. After the verdict, family members said they planned to visit his gravesite and carry the news there.
Randazzo, 39, had built a life around emergency service. He 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. He was also working as a bartender at Aruba Beach Cafe, a well-known spot near the beach, when authorities said he left around 1 a.m. and walked toward the area of the resort. He was off duty that night. Prosecutors said the attack was not tied to his fire rescue work, but his death shook colleagues and residents because a first responder who helped others was killed during a street robbery over ordinary personal items.
The state’s case brought jurors into the final stretch of Randazzo’s night through witness testimony and physical evidence. Cheyenne Papach testified that she was with Holston, Romero and Marco Rico in the beach area. Rico was her boyfriend at the time and later pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and conspiracy charges. Papach said she and Rico were away from Holston and Romero for a period, then met them again near Rico’s Nissan Sentra. She said the men had taken shoes and a phone from someone, but the phone was locked. She testified that they returned to the scene because Holston wanted the password. The state used that account to argue the robbery led directly into the killing.
Jurors heard that Randazzo was found face down with his shoes, wallet, keys and phone gone. Prosecutors said the wallet had $55 inside. A woman who discovered him called 911 and said her husband believed the man in front of the hotel was dead. Investigators collected items from the scene and later presented evidence in court, including bullet casings and items that tested positive for suspect DNA. A Broward Sheriff’s Office detective testified about responding to the scene and collecting evidence from Randazzo’s body. The prosecution framed those pieces as proof that the robbery described by witnesses matched the condition in which Randazzo was found.
Papach’s testimony gave the state its most direct account of what the defendants allegedly said after the shooting. She said Holston stated, “I can’t believe I caught a body,” and that he smiled while speaking about it. Prosecutors said Holston also made statements before the shooting about a gun he called his military weapon and about robbing and shooting the victim. The defense questioned whether the jury could rely on every detail of that testimony years later, particularly because Papach had been connected to Rico, who had his own criminal exposure. Still, the prosecution argued that her testimony fit with records, physical evidence and the larger timeline of the night.
The jury convicted both Holston and Romero of murder, but the result included an important distinction. The panel did not find them guilty of possessing or discharging a firearm. Judge Michael A. Usan said the verdict showed the jury unanimously found both men involved, while perhaps not finding beyond a reasonable doubt who actually had the gun. Romero’s attorney, Jim Lewis, said the result was troubling because, in his view, it showed uncertainty over how the killing happened. Lewis said an appeal was already being considered and said trying the men together harmed Romero because Holston had been identified as the person alleged to have carried the gun.
Holston and Romero were young adults at the time of the killing. Holston was 19 and Romero was 20 when they were arrested and later indicted on first-degree murder charges. Prosecutors also charged them with armed robbery and conspiracy. Rico, who was older, faced separate charges and resolved his case earlier. The original indictment came in November 2019, weeks after Randazzo’s death, and placed the case on a path that would take years to reach trial. Prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty by the time the case reached verdict, leaving mandatory life sentences as the expected punishment for the murder convictions.
After jurors announced the decision, Holston’s reaction contrasted with the grief described by Randazzo’s relatives. He was seen mouthing “I love you,” blowing a kiss and making a heart shape with his hands while in handcuffs. Randazzo’s family spoke instead about closure, memory and the pain of hearing courtroom testimony about his final moments. One family member said Randazzo brought light to the lives of people who knew him. Bobby Randazzo said he also felt for the defendants’ families because their lives had been changed, but he noted that they still could see and hear from their loved ones.
The case now moves to sentencing in June, when Holston and Romero face mandatory life terms. For Randazzo’s relatives, the guilty verdicts stand as the first major court ending in a case that began outside a beachside resort and followed them for nearly seven years.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.