Florida duo gloated about killing off-duty firefighter for his phone, sneakers in front of resort: witness

Two men accused of killing an off-duty Florida firefighter for his Nike sneakers and iPhone boasted about the murder just moments after the heinous act, a witness claimed Tuesday.

Torrey Holston, 26, and Jose Garcia Romero, 27, allegedly killed Coral Springs-Parkland firefighter Christopher Randazzo, 39, in front of a Lauderdale-by-the-Sea resort when he left his second job as a bartender at Aruba Beach Cafe around 1 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2019.

Witness Cheyenne Papach took the stand as Holston and Romero stand trial for murder and robbery and delivered a chilling account of how the pair showed zero remorse for their crimes and claimed they proudly gloated about what they had done, WPLG reported.

Papach, who was in a relationship with Marco Rico — another man connected to the case who pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and conspiracy charges in 2020 — was with the three men on the night of the murder.

She testified that while she was having sex with her ex-boyfriend on the beach near Aruba Beach Cafe, Holston, who was 19 at the time, and Garcia Romero, who was 20, slipped away and robbed Randazzo.

When the four met back up at Rico’s Nissan Sentra, the men allegedly admitted they had robbed someone of his shoes and iPhone, but when Holston showed Papach the stolen phone, it was locked.

Holston then ordered the group to return to where they had robbed Randazzo to retrieve the password.

When they returned to the scene, Randazzo was found lying on the ground, not fully coherent, and Papach watched as Holston and Garcia Romero yelled at him for the password, WPLG reported.

She claimed Holston then fired his gun and killed Randazzo.

“I think I got him,” Holston allegedly said after the shooting, according to court records obtained by Law & Crime. “I saw him slumped over.”

Papach claimed that Holston — armed with a handgun that night — was bragging, “I can’t believe I caught a body” and smiling, while Garcia Romero appeared equally pleased.

Holston also allegedly called the gun he used “my military weapon” and told Garcia Romero, “we can rob him, and we can shoot him” in front of Rico and Papach, Law & Crime reported.

Prosecutors said Randazzo was found face down, stripped of his red Nike sneakers, iPhone, wallet with $55 inside and car keys.

A woman who found Randazzo told investigators the 39-year-old firefighter and paramedic was “lying in front of the hotel” and told a 911 dispatcher that her husband “thinks he’s dead” after discovering him.

Both men are charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and criminal conspiracy, and face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Before his death, Randazzo earned his firefighter certification and paramedic license from the Coral Springs Regional Institute of Public Safety in 2018, NBC Miami reported.

He was hired by the Coral Springs-631 Parkland Fire Department just seven months before he was killed.