{"id":246706,"date":"2026-04-12T20:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/246706\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T20:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:03:17","slug":"2-charged-with-capital-murder-after-bodies-found-in-medina-lake-sheriffs-office-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/246706\/","title":{"rendered":"2 charged with capital murder after bodies found in Medina Lake, sheriff\u2019s office says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">MICO, Texas \u2013 Two people were charged with capital murder after the bodies of a husband and wife were found in a ravine near Medina Lake, the Medina County Sheriff\u2019s Office announced Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Cassandra Lange, 29, and Joby Williams, 30, are accused of killing Cherry Rehbein, 54, and her husband, Stephen Rehbein, 58. Lange is the biological daughter of Cherry Rehbein, the sheriff\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Sheriff Randy Brown said his office believes the murders occurred Monday evening at the couple\u2019s home in the 3300 block of County Road 265 in Mico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Investigators believe Cherry Rehbein was killed first, Brown said, while Stephen Rehbein was killed when he returned home from work. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The medical examiner is working to determine the official cause of death, but the sheriff said investigators recovered multiple weapons and that strangulation and a knife were involved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The investigation began Wednesday, April 8, when a coworker requested a welfare check from the sheriff\u2019s office, concerned that Stephen Rehbein had not shown up for work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Deputies were dispatched to the residence and arrived around 1 p.m. No one answered the door, but Brown said a deputy found bloody items in a trash can at the curb.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Criminal investigators were called to the scene and found additional evidence suggesting a crime had occurred, according to a news release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">A search warrant was obtained, and investigators identified vehicles belonging to the Rehbeins, the release said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Using available technology, Brown said authorities tracked one of the vehicles to the Corpus Christi area. The Corpus Christi Police Department\u2019s gang unit located and stopped the vehicle Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Lange and Williams were inside the vehicle, the release said, along with two children \u2014 a 6-year-old girl and a 1-month-old infant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Lange is the biological mother to both children, but Williams is only the biological father to the infant. The girl was transferred to her father\u2019s custody, while the infant remains in Child Protective Services\u2019 custody.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Williams had a fresh hand wound requiring stitches, which he had received at a medical facility in San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">A Medina County chief deputy and a Texas Ranger traveled to Corpus Christi to interview the suspects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Lange confessed that she and Williams had killed her mother and stepfather and disposed of their bodies in a ravine, according to Brown. Williams initially gave an inconsistent account, Brown said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Both suspects were taken into custody by approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 \u2014 roughly six hours after the initial welfare call.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Once Lange confessed and said that the bodies had been dumped, Brown said Medina County investigators immediately began searching ravines and dry creek beds in the Medina Lake area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Early Thursday morning, April 9, a deputy spotted what appeared to be trash along FM 1283, near Medina Lake.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">After pushing through cedar brush and descending approximately 73 feet into a deep ravine \u2014 not visible from the roadway \u2014 deputies found two large black garbage bags containing the bodies of the victims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Fire personnel assisted in recovering the bodies, which were transported to the medical examiner\u2019s office for autopsy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Brown said items were stolen from the residence \u2014 including guns, money, tools and the victims\u2019 vehicle \u2014 but could not speculate on the motive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Investigators are working to trace stolen firearms and checking pawn shops for other missing property.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Lange and William\u2019s were initially set at $200,000 or less, but were later increased to a $1 million surety.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">As of the Friday news conference, Williams remained in Nueces County Jail pending transfer to Medina County. Lange was transported back to Medina County the night of April 8.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Brown said the investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">More crime coverage on KSAT:<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by KSAT &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MICO, Texas \u2013 Two people were charged with capital murder after the bodies of a husband and wife&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246707,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[6885,155,157,156,294,6071,27513,27514,429],"class_list":{"0":"post-246706","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-corpus-christi","8":"tag-capital-murder","9":"tag-corpus-christi","10":"tag-corpus-christi-headlines","11":"tag-corpus-christi-news","12":"tag-crime","13":"tag-dps","14":"tag-medina-county","15":"tag-medina-county-sheriffs-office","16":"tag-texas-rangers"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}