An Arizona man was charged Wednesday with killing an estranged girlfriend, whose body was found in the trunk of a car parked outside his parents’ home in Huntington Beach.
Richard Paul Rodriguez, 34, of Holbrook, Arizona, was charged with murder in the death of 54-year-old Christi Lynn Romero. Rodriguez was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
Officers were sent to the 17000 block of Friml Lane at about 5:15 p.m. Monday after receiving reports of a family disturbance at the residence, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department.
“Upon arrival, patrol officers contacted the involved parties and secured the location,” police said in a statement. “During the initial investigation, officers located a deceased adult female. She had passed away under suspicious circumstances.”
Detectives from the Crimes Against Persons Unit were sent to the scene, police said.
Police in Holbrook, Arizona, had issued a bulletin on Monday about Romero going missing, and identifying Rodriguez — her estranged boyfriend — as a suspect in the case. Police said they went to Romero’s home Monday morning, but she and her car were both missing. Holbrook police said Romero and Rodriguez had lived together, but he was removed from the home when Romero obtained a protective order against him last week.
The bulletin from Holbrook police included a photo of Romero’s red, two-door sedan, a 1995 Plymouth Neon, that was believed to have been stolen by Rodriguez. The photo appears to match the sedan in which the body was found in Huntington Beach.
“It is believed that Richard Rodriguez may have forced his way into Christi’s residence and forced her to leave,” the bulletin stated. “Christi did have a 9mm pistol which is unaccounted for and is believed to be in Richard’s possession.”
Holbrook police confirmed that Rodriguez drove to his parents’ house in Huntington Beach, and police were called.