GUILTY TX - Irene Garza, 25, found murdered, McAllen, 16 April 1960

[Reader]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/31/justice/garza-texas-priest-murder-case/index.html?hpt=ju_c2

McAllen, Texas (CNN) -- All evidence pointed police to one conclusion: A priest had killed a beautiful 25-year-old schoolteacher.

Searchers had found the lifeless body of former Miss South Texas, Irene Garza, face down in a canal in her hometown of McAllen. She'd disappeared on the day before Easter after going to Sacred Heart Catholic Church for confession.

An autopsy determined Garza had been raped while in a coma, and then had died from suffocation. Near Garza's body investigators found items that belonged to the church, including a candelabra.

One item, a metallic Kodak slide photo viewer, belonged to a 27-year-old priest who was assigned to the church: the Rev. John Feit.

To say the scandal rocked McAllen is an understatement..........

During the next four decades, Sigler made it her mission to knock on doors, interview witnesses and catalog every piece of evidence in the case. The case got colder over the years and eventually faded from the headlines. But the cousins kept pushing until 2002, when the Rangers and Jaramillo reinvigorated the investigation.

Hopes for solving the case were never higher.

Two surprise witnesses had independently come forward -- each separately claiming that they heard Feit confess.

More at link......

 

[wfgodot]

Sunday Mail's take on the matter, with pictures:

Relatives cry cover-up in 1960 murder of Texas beauty queen as the main
suspect, a priest, has never been charged and continues to live comfortably

 

[time]

This is an excellent mini-case study:

http://www.podles.org/case-studies/Irene-Garza-Case-Study-page1.htm

 

[Filly]

Sunday Mail's take on the matter, with pictures:

Relatives cry cover-up in 1960 murder of Texas beauty queen as the main
suspect, a priest, has never been charged and continues to live comfortably

As soon as I saw this thread title I was hoping you were here.

 

[Filly]

Dang, they listed him on that Bishop Accountability. Supposed confession and all.




http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2005_01_06/2005_03_23_Perez_ConfessionTo.htm

How sad. Beautiful, vibrant, young woman.

 

[time]

Before her murder, another woman, Maria America Guerra, age 20, was attacked by John Feit in the church. He moved around, I have to wonder if he had other victims.

 

[wfgodot]

As soon as I saw this thread title I was hoping you were here.

'60s....Texas....hinky priest - you know I'm in the house.

 

[CHERIE.T]

Thanks to all for the links. What a story!

 

[Eagle]

If the guy attacked the one, then killed her, he's starting to show the making of a serial killer mentality. Would make me wonder if there were any suspicious unsolved murders when he was other places, etc. Did he just "stop" because he visited the monastery ? I'm not buying it 'cured' him. You don't 'cure' them.

If he was the one that called the first woman, after the 2nd was dead, and tell her "you are next" .... that says a lot about his mentality.

Anderson Cooper's special said.... he told them he had her in a bathtub, covered in saran wrap and she said she was having trouble breathing and he left her there and went to bed. Not buying he just left her from the evidence. But he told one of the Priests in the morning he found her in the bathtub dead. Not wanting to admit he killed her intentionally would not be new, especially their first murder.

Elections next year may bring in a new DA. The present one, wouldn't let the Priest testify , nor the detectives, when he held a Grand Jury to get people off his back. Strange that he wouldn't. Now, both of them have died, and can't testify...but left delcarations about it and the details, plus sworn statements to the Rangers, so can they be used in court ?

Pretty convincing evidence pointing towards him.

He quit the priesthood (1971) married, had 4 children, now has grandchildren and is living in Phoenix, Arizona. Like to know more about why he quit the priesthood.

http://gnosticbent.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/murdered-by-a-man-of-the-cloth/

Near Garza’s body, police found a number of suspicious items. Among them were a candelabra—which authorities determined had come from Sacred Heart Church—as well as a Kodak slide viewer belonging to one of the priests there: Reverend John Feit.
Feit was immediately brought in for questioning and underwent numerous lie detector tests about the murder; he failed them all. Feit did admit to hearing Garza’s confession that fateful night, but claimed that he left the rectory shortly thereafter and last saw her standing outside the front of the church.
The cops weren’t buying it, though. In their official report, one of the interrogating officers wrote that “Feit was responding in a manner that would indicate beyond doubt that he was concealing facts and had guilty knowledge.”

Unfortunately, nothing would ever come of Garza’s case because—and bear in mind this is all hearsay—the church and the district attorney conspired to sweep this terrible crime under the rug, in a manner of speaking. Feit was insulated from prosecution and immediately transferred to Our Lady of Assumption monastery in Ava, Missouri.

O’Brien was working at Sacred Heart when Garza disappeared and was found murdered, and he suspected Feit was trouble. “We knew he was dangerous, so we shipped him off to a monastery,” the priest told CNN recently. O’Brien also mentioned how Feit confessed to him directly about the murder.

Feit wrapped Garza in plastic—still bound and gagged—and put her in the bathtub. She complained about not being able to breathe, but he ignored her pleas and instead went to church to hear more confessions. By the time he returned, however, Garza was dead. He quickly tossed her body into his car, drove to a nearby canal and dumped her there.

 

[Eagle]

A really in-depth of info :
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2005-07-07/news/altar-ego/

The Ranger asked Feit to speak to him about his role in the events that Easter weekend in 1960. Feit's answer was as opaque as it was potentially illuminating:

"That man doesn't exist anymore," he said, hanging up the phone.

"The subject, in very deliberate and explicit words, stated there will never be any evidence turning up in the future of this case.

"He also pointed out to the examiner that there are two . . . murders in the area [that] had gone unsolved, one for 15 years and one for 20 years, and that this case, like those, will soon be forgotten."

When asked why he entered the priesthood, Feit answered, "I just wanted to give it a try."

When asked about the attack on Maria America Guerra, Feit's answers bordered on the absurd. At one point, he claimed that Guerra's true attacker had actually confessed to him.

"The subject was queried as to where the confession was obtained, and [Feit] told the examiner that it was not in the confessional box, not in the rectory but out in the open some place and was very vague as to where the open place was."

When asked if the lie detector was incorrect when it indicated that he committed these crimes, he answered, "Your machine is probably functioning correctly, but these men from Austin have told me that I have a vague respiration and a bad heart."

What everyone knew -- Feit's attorneys, the examiners themselves -- was that polygraph exams weren't admissible in court.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

A really in-depth of info :
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2005-07-07/news/altar-ego/

I saw her story this morning at 3 am... But I came here hoping to find more. I can not believe this DA would not bring proper evidence to the Grand Jury. It just seems so fishy. I am looking forward to reading all the links and seeing how I feel after that.

 

[tezi]

'60s....Texas....hinky priest - you know I'm in the house.

LOL...I know this isn't funny, but woofie, you owe me a keyboard.

 

[Sulamith]

New DA is Ricardo Rodriguez. Hopefully, he will take on Miss Garza's case.

http://www.themonitor.com/news/loca...cle_50a93658-a5ba-11e3-b7ce-0017a43b2370.html

"Guerra sent a letter Friday to Rodriguez, asking him to take on a role as special prosecutor assigned to examine the evidence against John Feit, the former McAllen priest never charged with but widely accused of killing the 25-year-old beauty queen in 1960."

48 Hours Episode: The Last Confession

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/irene-garza-murder-family-seeks-justice-in-53-year-old-cold-case/

 

[cuffem]

Good!,Rene Guerra was defeated. After watching the 48 hrs. story I had this feeling he thought he would go to heLL if he went after Feit, because he had many excuses but no reasonable ones.

 

[Snoopster]

Good!,Rene Guerra was defeated. After watching the 48 hrs. story I had this feeling he thought he would go to heLL if he went after Feit, because he had many excuses but no reasonable ones.

Totally agree with you.

I just watched the 48 Hours episode too. While I am always aware that these shows dramatize/add/delete certain items to make the case sensational, Guerra came across so poorly. His "reasons" seemed purely like "excuses".

It's not surprising in a way, as institutions protect themselves. However, what is telling in this case is that LE is on the side of the family and the DA stood all alone.

 

[Stella]

DA Guerra is showing an utter lack of spine in not bringing this to a Grand Jury. He's up for re-election this year, hopefully his successor will do something. Cases with less evidence have been successfully prosecuted. ETA-just read that Guerra HAS been defeated. Good news I hope.

 

[STANDREID]

This case is on CBS 48 Hours Mystery again right now

 

[cuffem]

Standreid,Was there anything new in the case?TIA!

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.themonitor.com/news/loca...cle_b6ae0ade-8d70-11e4-ba78-776d0455e9e5.html

Guerra’s perceived leniency could anger victims — notably the family of Irene Garza, the McAllen beauty queen who was murdered in 1960.

The cold case was reopened in 2002, and her family wanted an indictment against the priest who heard her final confession before she went missing. Guerra sent the case to a grand jury, but it failed to indict.

He argued the case lacked the evidence needed to convict. And he sometimes said it bluntly, reportedly telling a family member an indictment would come “when pigs fly.”

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I believe the new DA has since taken over now (?) so I pray he has investigators pouring over the evidence on this case. Fingers crossed....I've followed this case for quite a while and hope Irene gets Justice soon.