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

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Yeah, the new DA is taking another look at the case:

http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=1191416#.VVNvD_lViko

A recent article about this case; quote from Ricardo Rodriguez, the current DA:

http://advancepublishingcompany.com/news/cold-case-file-da-resurrects-irene-garza-murder

“Without going specifically into detail, you know, one thing that was true that was talked about during the campaign (Democrat primary March 2014), was that this is a difficult case because so much time has passed. And do I believe that at one point in time, this case was strong in the sense that it could have been prosecuted to a jury in a courtroom? I think it was strong. Now, I’m not saying that can’t happen now. But again it’s just under different circumstances.”
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Incredible news! It's great they never stopped working on the case.

The video is not working for me for some reason. Here's an article about the arrest.

Arrest Made in 56-Year-Old Murder Case

The Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office made an arrest in the murder of Irene Garza. She’s the second grade school teacher who was murdered in 1960.

No one was ever arrested for the crime until Tuesday.

The former priest John Feit is officially being charged with the murder of Garza.

Feit, 83, was taken into custody by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Apprehension and Surveillance Team. He was arrested outside of his apartment in Scottsdale.
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Wow that's great news! I thought he must have died by now, good he didn't. Wonder whether he'll plead guilty or go to trial?

Her cousins must be so happy about this.
 
zensiert said:
After almost 56 years, they have finally charged the former priest John Feit in this case:

[video=cnn;us/2013/06/02/pkg-tuchman-beauty-and-the-priest.cnn]http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/09/us/texas-old-murder-case-priest-beauty-queen/index.html[/video]
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Oh My! This is wonderful news! Thank you so much for posting the update. Ever since I read a Texas Monthy article about Ms. Garza I was, well, drawn in to her case. I was hoping that DA Ricardo Rodriquez would re-open her case, as he promised. It looks like he did!
 
I'm happy it's resolved once and for all. It's just sickening that he was able to live a full life when it was no secret he killed her. I can't help but wonder if he left behind other victims.
 
The arrest is well-welcome, but justice delayed is justice denied.
 
Hopefully, this case will be resolved but it will take more than just an arrest. Unless this guy pleads guilty, a conviction is by no means a given.
 
Just saw the headline on Google News. So happy that there is some justice for Irene and her family! This pig thinks he got away with it. I saw this case on a crime show- think it was 48 Hours, and was so pissed that the D.A. Rene Guerra refused to prosecute. I think religion interefered when it shouldn't have!!!
 
LinasK said:
Just saw the headline on Google News. So happy that there is some justice for Irene and her family! This pig thinks he got away with it. I saw this case on a crime show- think it was 48 Hours, and was so pissed that the D.A. Rene Guerra refused to prosecute. I think religion interefered when it shouldn't have!!!
Click to expand...


Me, too Linas. When I saw the update today I wanted to cheer! I have followed this case since it was featured on 48 Hours (or Dateline, can't remember but it was a good episode) and always thought it was freakin repulsive that charges were not followed through on originally.

If I am not mistaken I believe the new DA from Hidalgo County promised Irene's family that if he was elected to office he would personally make sure this case was re-investigated. I am so glad it happened......finally. I was raised a Catholic but left the church after the sex scandals hit the news. It's absolutely infuriating that this ex-priest was hidden and protected from justice for so long by the church. I hope he rots in hell along with all the other perverts they covered for. Just thinking about so many miscarriages of justice makes my blood pressure spike.

I have had a google alert set for over two years or so just to keep an eye on Irene's case....so glad Justice is being sought on her behalf. I can't even imagine how awful her death was at the hands of this creep.....and at the hands of a PRIEST she went to for confession, for God's sake.

Sorry to rant and ramble on but I have very strong feelings when it comes to these sicko priests. I attended Catholic school when I was young and we were taught to respect every priest. They were treated as God himself when they entered a classroom. If a priest would have told me to take off my clothes I surely would have. Poor Irene was so deceived by this perv who was dressed as God himself. It's just so wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
 
Sulamith said:
Oh My! This is wonderful news! Thank you so much for posting the update. Ever since I read a Texas Monthy article about Ms. Garza I was, well, drawn in to her case. I was hoping that DA Ricardo Rodriquez would re-open her case, as he promised. It looks like he did!
Click to expand...


Yes....three cheers for Ricardo Rodriguez for following through. I so hoped he would. I haven't followed this thread for quite some time....need to read through the latest articles.

This update really made my day!
 
Thanks for the update, wfgodot !
I think I'd watched the (48 hours?) episode about this...since she was sexually assaulted, wouldn't there be dna evidence ? Maybe that was too long ago-- but the fact she was going to confession and he was the last to see her !!! :maddening: :stormingmad:

It's sad that Feit was able to live a full life... when his innocent victim was denied that.
 
Blondie in Spokane said:
Me, too Linas. When I saw the update today I wanted to cheer! I have followed this case since it was featured on 48 Hours (or Dateline, can't remember but it was a good episode) and always thought it was freakin repulsive that charges were not followed through on originally.

If I am not mistaken I believe the new DA from Hidalgo County promised Irene's family that if he was elected to office he would personally make sure this case was re-investigated. I am so glad it happened......finally. I was raised a Catholic but left the church after the sex scandals hit the news. It's absolutely infuriating that this ex-priest was hidden and protected from justice for so long by the church. I hope he rots in hell along with all the other perverts they covered for. Just thinking about so many miscarriages of justice makes my blood pressure spike.

I have had a google alert set for over two years or so just to keep an eye on Irene's case....so glad Justice is being sought on her behalf. I can't even imagine how awful her death was at the hands of this creep.....and at the hands of a PRIEST she went to for confession, for God's sake.

Sorry to rant and ramble on but I have very strong feelings when it comes to these sicko priests. I attended Catholic school when I was young and we were taught to respect every priest. They were treated as God himself when they entered a classroom. If a priest would have told me to take off my clothes I surely would have. Poor Irene was so deceived by this perv who was dressed as God himself. It's just so wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Click to expand...

And although it's not stated, I think the real reason Guerra wouldn't prosecute is that he's Catholic. Kinda like Lou Smit praying with the Ramseys. So much for separation of church and state.
 
LietKynes said:
Thanks for the update, wfgodot !
I think I'd watched the (48 hours?) episode about this...since she was sexually assaulted, wouldn't there be dna evidence ? Maybe that was too long ago-- but the fact she was going to confession and he was the last to see her !!! :maddening: :stormingmad:

It's sad that Feit was able to live a full life... when his innocent victim was denied that.
Click to expand...


It was 1960 and by the time they discovered her in the canal, there was major decomposition, so I don't think any DNA was recovered or taken.
 
re: "Justice has been served.”

'Has Justice really been served in this tragic fifty-five year old murder investigation'? Murder cases can take years to go to trial. At the age of 83, ex priest and sexual predator John Feit will likely never live long enough for a conviction. As we have seen in past cases, if a defendant dies before conviction, all charges are then dropped..

Imo, it would be logical to conclude that John Feit, while hiding behind the cloak of the priesthood, beauty queen Irene Garza, was not his only unsuspecting innocent victim taken in over a half century.. Imo, Feits arrest is not justice, but only one answer to the many questions that linger..

<snipped & BBM for focus>

Ex-priest arrested in 1960 killing of Texas beauty queen

John Feit, 83, was busted Tuesday night in Scottsdale, Arizona, on a murder rap out of Hildago County, Texas, where the then 27-year-old pastor heard confession by Irene Garza, a one-time Miss South Texas.

Garza, 25 at the time, a second-grade teacher, was last seen April 16, 1960, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, according to the Texas Rangers law enforcement authorities. Her parents reported her missing when she didn&#8217;t return home.

Her car was located near the church and her body was found five days later in the canal.

Her family&#8217;s Facebook page dedicated to seeking justice for her death was updated with the message: &#8220;Today Irene Garza gets to finally R.I.P. Justice has been served.&#8221;

Barbara Dorris, an official with Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told NBC News she was &#8220;deeply grateful&#8221; Feit was collared.
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...g-of-beauty-queen_us_56bbb021e4b0c3c5504ff742

Former Priest John Feit Charged In Decades-Old Beauty Queen Slaying
"At first, it looked like a sack floating. Then I saw it was the body of a girl."
02/11/2016 10:21 am ET
David Lohr
Senior Crime Reporter, The Huffington Post

<Snipped & BBM for Focus>

Questioned by police, John Feit, then a 27-year-old Roman Catholic priest, told authorities he had heard a confession by Garza the night she disappeared. While the revelation was not immediately suspect, eyebrows were raised when detectives later drained a section of the canal where Garza's body was discovered and found an Eastman Kodaslide viewer that belonged to Feit, Texas Monthly reported.

Interest in Feit intensified when authorities were contacted by a 20-year-old college student who claimed Feit attacked her roughly three weeks before Garza was killed.

The woman, according to a statement she gave to detectives, said she was attacked by Feit while she knelt to pray at Sacred Heart Church in Edinburg, which is about 10 miles from McAllen. She said that Feit, whom she described as wearing horn-rimmed glasses, accosted her from behind and placed a handkerchief or a towel over her mouth. The woman said she bit one of his fingers during the attack, which caused him to release his grip and flee the scene.

When police questioned Feit about the incident, he reportedly denied any involvement. However, detectives did observe an injury to one of his fingers -&#8211; a wound he attributed to receiving while operating a mimeograph machine.
 
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