LEXINGTON, S.C. – A Lexington woman and a Columbia man have been charged and declared co-defendants in connection with a home invasion that led to the shooting death of a child.
Linda Lyn Monette, 23, who was in the home at the time of the crime, is charged with murder, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, burglary and armed robbery, according to arrest warrants. Monette was previously charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and obstruction of justice in connection with the incident.
Reynerio Rafael Romero Jr., 24, is charged with being an accessory to murder before the fact and criminal conspiracy, according to warrants.
“Over the course of our investigation, we’ve gathered information indicating Monette actively conspired with Romero to plan and carry out the armed robbery in the 100 block of Cedar Vale Drive,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “The plan was for someone to burglarize the home and take several pounds of marijuana, which was known to be in the residence.”
Romero and Monette are being held in the Lexington County Detention Center, according to Koon.
“Multiple detectives are still hard at work on this case as we seek to identify and locate another co-defendant,” Koon said. “This was not a random act and it will take us some time to sort out who knew and did what.”
Koon said tipsters can remain anonymous when they share information by calling Crimestoppers at 888-Crime-SC, logging onto www.midlandscrimestoppers.com and clicking on the “Submit a tip” tab, or by downloading the P3 Tips app for their Apple or Android device.