Stolen from murdered firefighter, cops say: A pair of Nikes, an iPhone, a knife and $55
The three men accused of shooting and killing a Coral Springs firefighter two weeks ago in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea did it for next to nothing, according to arrest warrants released Monday by the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
They got away with Christopher Randazzo’s cellphone, sneakers, a knife and $55 in cash.
Charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery in the shocking Oct. 19 killing are Jose Garcia Romero, 20, Marco Rico, 32, and Torrey Holston, 19. Deputies named Holston as the shooter. Police said a Nissan Sentra linked the trio with the Randazzo murder.
Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives searching for Randazzo’s killers found Holston and Romero already in custody in Palm Beach County. They were accused of firing weapons and of a suspected kidnapping at a Motel 6 in Lantana the previous evening, on Oct. 18, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The newspaper said police were called to the motel by a man who said his girlfriend might have been kidnapped.
Police found shell casings at the motel, but no injuries to anyone. According to the Sun Sentinel, the girlfriend of the man who called them used to date Rico and she called him that night for some drugs. The man told police that Rico showed up in the same Nissan Sentra that was later seen at Randazzo’s murder scene. He also said Rico showed up with another man who fired a gun at him, but missed.
Reached late Monday, Lantana police said they would forward arrest reports for Holston and Romero Tuesday morning.
Randazzo, 39, who joined Coral Springs Fire Rescue in March, was found shot dead outside the Southern Seas Resort at 4520 El Mar Dr. at about 6 a.m. on Oct. 19. Police believe he was killed some time between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. He was last seen leaving the Aruba Beach Cafe not long after midnight.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office claims in the arrest warrants for the three men that they stole an iPhone, a pair of red Nike sneakers, a Bench Made Knife and wallet containing $55 from Randazzo. The warrants go into few other details about the murder, only named Holston as the shooter.
The high-profile murder was a major priority for Broward deputies. So much so that Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony attended his memorial service last week, where hundreds had gathered to pay their respects. Just before speaking at the podium, Gregory huddled with family members and told them Broward deputies knew who killed Randazzo. Then he told the crowd that four people had been identified, two were in custody and that one of them confessed.
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 6:11 PM.
