Ex-catholic Priest, 83, Is Arrested for the Murder of Beauty Queen, 25, Whose Body Was Found Face down in a Canal 56 Years Ago, Days after He Heard Her Confession

By Wills Robinson
Daily Mail
February 10, 2016

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3440598/Former-Catholic-priest-arrested-1960-murder-beauty-queen-body-face-canal-five-days-heard-confession.html

A former Catholic priest who is now an 83-year-old married grandfather has been charged with murdering a 25-year-old beauty queen in 1960 after hearing her confession.

Irene Garza, a second grade teacher once crowned Miss South Texas, was last seen alive heading to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, to see John Feit, then 27, the day before Easter, almost 56 years ago.

Five days later her lifeless body was found wrapped in burlap, face down in a nearby canal. An autopsy later found she had been raped while unconscious and suffocated.

Feit was considered the prime suspect for more than half a century, but was finally arrested on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Irene Garza, a teacher once crowned Miss South Texas, was last seen alive heading to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, to see John Feit in 1960. Her body was found five days later

Feit, then 23 (left), was considered the prime suspect for more than half a century, but was finally arrested on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona. He's now a married 87-year-old grandfather (mugshot right)

Feit, then 23 (left), was considered the prime suspect for more than half a century, but was finally arrested on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona. He's now a married 87-year-old grandfather (mugshot right)

Garza's family said the church and police orchestrated a 'cover-up' as he was a member of the clergy, and had him moved to a monastery just after the slaying.

Since the 1970s he has enjoyed family life. He's married, has children and grandchildren and is a regular volunteer at his church.

But he is now facing spending the rest of his life in jail if he is convicted.

He said the last time he saw Garza was in the church's rectory after he heard her confession, but all the evidence pointed to him.

District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez told The Monitor he had presented his case to a grand jury last Thursday, and they voted to indict him.

'We had kept it quiet as much as we could — we sealed the indictment,' he said.

He would not say what new, if any, new evidence he had.

They are now waiting to see whether Feit will fight extradition back to Texas.

It comes 12 years after the case was reopened, but a grand jury failed to indict in 2004.

Just 24 days before the 1960 slaying, Feit had been arrested for attacking Maria America Guerra at a church in a town about 10 miles from McAllen.

Garza's family accused the church and police of orchestrating a 'cover-up' as he was a member of the clergy, and had him moved to a monastery just after the slaying

Deputy Sheriffs and volunteer workers remove the burlap wrapped body of 25-year-old Garza from an irrigation canal near the heart of McAllen

Just 24 days before the 1960 slaying, Feit (left) had been arrested for attacking Maria America Guerra, 20, (right) at a church in a town about 10 miles from McAllen

Just 24 days before the 1960 slaying, Feit (left) had been arrested for attacking Maria America Guerra, 20, (right) at a church in a town about 10 miles from McAllen

Feit pleaded no contest to misdemeanor aggravated assault. A judge found him guilty and fined him $500 with no prison time.

He was interviewed by police after Garza's disappearance, but told them he didn't do it. However he is believed to have failed a series of lie detector tests.

At the time it was unthinkable for a priest to commit such a horrible act.

Garza's cousin Lynda De La Vina, who was nine years old at the time, told CNN: 'We were accusing a priest that - in those days priests were infallible.'

Noemi Sigler, was only 10, added: 'It was impossible for a priest to do such a deed. I mean, if you thought of it, that would be sacrilegious.'

She also believed that authorities and the church were protecting Feit.

'I don't know whether it was out of respect for the church or anger or fear, I have no idea.

'Shortly after the killing, the church transferred Feit far away to a monastery. He would be moved to other locations over time, and about three years after the killing, the church transferred Feit to Our Lady of Assumption monastery in Ava, Missouri.'

She even recorded a conversation with a former priest at Sacred Heart, Joseph O'Brien, who claimed Feit confessed to him and was sent away from the area because he was 'dangerous'.

Dale Tacheny, a Missouri monk at the monastery Feit attended, also came forward after 40 years because the burden of guilt had become too much, according to CNN.

Garza's cousins supported him as he ran for the DA's office in 2014. They asked him to re-examine the case to see if it could be taken to grand jury.

His bid to look back into the case was said to be one of the primary reasons he beat long-time incumbent Rene Guerra.