The verdict followed testimony about a robbery, a locked phone and statements prosecutors said showed no remorse.

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Two men were convicted in the 2019 killing of Coral Springs-Parkland firefighter Christopher Randazzo after jurors heard testimony that he was robbed of his phone, sneakers, wallet and keys outside a Lauderdale-by-the-Sea resort.

A Broward jury found Torrey Holston, 26, and Jose Garcia Romero, 27, guilty in May in the death of Randazzo, 39, nearly seven years after the off-duty firefighter was shot near the Southern Seas Resort. The case moved from a cold beachfront crime scene in October 2019 to a weeklong trial that centered on eyewitness testimony, physical evidence and the prosecution’s claim that the defendants celebrated after the killing.

The verdict turned on a narrow but serious set of facts. Randazzo had left Aruba Beach Cafe, where he worked a second job as a bartender, around 1 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2019. Prosecutors said Holston and Romero found him outside the resort, robbed him and later returned because the iPhone they had taken was locked. Witness Cheyenne Papach testified that Holston and Romero came back to a Nissan Sentra with stolen items and then went back to demand the phone password. Papach said Holston later said, “I can’t believe I caught a body,” and that he was smiling when he spoke. The defense challenged parts of the state’s account, including what could be proven about who had the gun.

Randazzo was found face down outside the hotel with no shoes, wallet, keys or phone. Prosecutors said the missing property included red Nike sneakers, an iPhone, car keys and a wallet that had $55 inside. A woman who found him called 911 and reported that her husband thought the man on the ground was dead. Investigators later identified Holston, Romero and Marco Rico as people connected to the case. Rico, who was dating Papach at the time, pleaded guilty in 2020 to accessory after the fact and conspiracy charges. During trial, jurors heard that Rico was driving the Nissan Sentra used that night. Prosecutors also presented evidence collected from the scene, including bullet casings and items that tested positive for suspect DNA.

Holston was 19 and Romero was 20 when the shooting happened. Court records and testimony described them by nicknames and placed them with Rico and Papach near Lauderdale-by-the-Sea before the robbery. Papach testified that she and Rico were on the beach while Holston and Romero separated from them. When the group later came together, she said the men spoke about taking shoes and a phone from a man. She said the phone was locked, leading to the return to the scene. Prosecutors said Holston had described the gun as a military weapon before the shooting and had said the victim could be robbed and shot. The defense sought to test whether Papach’s recollections, her relationship with Rico and the passage of time weakened her testimony.

The case began as a murder investigation in a small coastal town better known for hotels, beach access and late-night foot traffic than capital homicide trials. Randazzo’s death drew attention across South Florida because he was a firefighter and paramedic who had joined the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department months before he was killed. He had earned his firefighter certification and paramedic license in 2018. His work placed him in a public safety role, but authorities said he was off duty and leaving a second job when he was attacked. The contrast between his public service and the property taken from him became a central part of the prosecution’s story. The state described a killing tied to a robbery, not a dispute or planned attack against him personally.

Jurors convicted both men of murder, but the verdict did not settle every factual dispute raised in court. Judge Michael A. Usan said after the verdict that the jury appeared clear about the involvement of both defendants, even if it did not find beyond a reasonable doubt who possessed or discharged the firearm. Romero’s attorney, Jim Lewis, said the verdict showed a troubling inconsistency and said an appeal was being considered. He also said the joint trial hurt Romero because Holston had been described as the person with the gun. Prosecutors were not seeking the death penalty. Because of the murder convictions, both men face mandatory life sentences when they return to court.

For Randazzo’s family, the verdict was a public end to years of court delays, evidence hearings and trial preparation. His brother, Bobby Randazzo, said after the verdict that the family had waited since October 2019 for justice. He said the family could finally put the case to rest, even as he noted that the defendants’ families also lost something because of the crimes. Family members attended the trial, including Randazzo’s elderly father, and listened as witnesses described the last minutes of his life. One relative said the trial gave them the truth of what happened after years of imagining it. After court, family members said they planned to visit Randazzo’s gravesite.

The courtroom scene after the verdict showed the two sides moving into the next phase of the case. Holston was seen mouthing “I love you,” blowing a kiss and making a heart shape with his hands while in handcuffs. Romero’s defense signaled that it could challenge the conviction. The state, meanwhile, moved toward sentencing after securing guilty verdicts in a case built on robbery evidence, witness accounts and the timeline of the beachside shooting. The jury’s decision ended the trial, but it did not erase questions the defense raised about firearm findings or the role each man played in the fatal moments outside the resort.

Holston and Romero remain convicted and are scheduled to return to court in June for sentencing. The next hearing is expected to decide their punishment formally, while any appeal would unfold after final judgments are entered.

Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.