Insets, from left: Jose Garcia Romero, Christopher Randazzo and Torrey Holston (Instagram/Coral Springs Fire Department/Broward County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Lauderdale-by-the-Sea area where Florida firefighter Christopher Randazzo was found shot to death, lying face down without his shoes, wallet, keys or phone (WPLG/YouTube).
Two Florida men have been sentenced to life in prison for the robbery and killing of an off-duty firefighter who was targeted for his iPhone, Nike sneakers and wallet. Prosecutors said the pair later celebrated the fatal shooting, with a witness testifying that they bragged about having “caught a body” and appeared to be “smiling about it.”
At Wednesday’s sentencing for Torrey Holston and Jose Garcia Romero, the judge said the jury had left no doubt about both men’s roles in the murder. The two were convicted in May and each received a life sentence.
Holston was 19 and Garcia Romero was 20 when authorities say they shot and killed 39-year-old Coral Springs-Parkland firefighter Christopher Randazzo outside a resort in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea seven years ago.
The men stood trial in May over the deadly 2019 robbery. According to court records reviewed by Law&Crime, Randazzo — identified by Coral Springs Fire Department officials as a firefighter and paramedic — was left face down without shoes after being killed for his red Nike sneakers, iPhone and wallet containing $55. Investigators said his car keys were also taken.
“I can’t believe I caught a body,” Holston allegedly said after the shooting, according to testimony from Cheyenne Papach, who was present that night and was dating another alleged accomplice. Local independent station WPLG reported on her testimony.
Papach told the court that Holston was “smiling about it,” describing both him and Garcia Romero as pleased with themselves as they boasted about the killing.
Papach’s boyfriend, Marco Rico, pleaded guilty in 2020 to accessory after the fact and conspiracy charges. Authorities said Rico was driving the Nissan Sentra that Holston and Garcia Romero — known by the nicknames “Six” and “Cobra” — used to flee after Randazzo was shot.
“Papach told the detectives that Six and Cobra stole from a guy they found sleeping on some steps, and that she had heard one shot when victim Christopher Randazzo passed away,” a court filing viewed by Law&Crime says.
A witness who knew Holston and Garcia Romero told investigators that they referred to themselves as “real thugs” who “got guns” and weren’t afraid of using them. A police official told The Palm Beach Post after Randazzo was killed, “These kids get all doped up, and I can’t answer why they do what they do.”
Randazzo was found “lying in front of the hotel” where he was killed, according to a woman who found him. “My husband thinks he’s dead,” the woman told a 911 dispatcher.
Before the shooting, Holston described the gun he is accused of using to kill Randazzo as “my military weapon,” according to police. “We can rob him and we can shoot him,” he told Garcia Romero while Rico and Papach were present.
“I think I got him,” Holston said after shooting Randazzo. “I saw him slumped over.”
Holston and Garcia Romero were both charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and criminal conspiracy.
Garcia Romero’s attorney, Jim Lewis, told the local independent television station WPLG in May that an appeal was being weighed. He said trying both men together was a “detriment,” according to WPLG.
“We had always asked to be separate,” Lewis said. “Jose Romero was never alleged to carry a gun in this incident. The co-defendant was, so to some extent, we paid the price.”
