Irene Garza’s family hopes Rodriguez would pursue case, but he says there’s no promise of justice

TEXAS
The Monitor

Jared Taylor | The Monitor

Posted on Feb 28, 2014

EDINBURG — Relatives and others advocating the Irene Garza cold case murder be re-examined and go to trial trumpeted Friday another cause to support: Ricardo Rodriguez for Hidalgo County District Attorney.

Rodriguez has enjoyed the family’s support during his bid for district attorney, saying he’d re-examine the 1960 murder case to see whether it should again be taken before a grand jury. But he’s stopped short of making any promises to Garza’s relatives and advocates.

That didn’t stop them from hosting a news conference Friday morning at the Echo Hotel and Conference Center in Edinburg, urging voters to not re-elect incumbent Rene Guerra, who’s been in office more than three decades.

Besides the endorsement, no new information emerged from Friday’s news conference or when The Monitor interviewed Guerra afterward.

Dale Tacheny, an Oklahoma tax attorney who left the priesthood decades ago, told reporters that former McAllen priest John Feit admitted to killing the 25-year-old Garza. He said the admissions came when they both lived at a monastery in Missouri.

In an interview Friday afternoon, Guerra continued to emphasize that he does not believe Tacheny’s testimony would hold up in court, were he asked to testify.

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