TEXAS
WRCB
By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) – Prosecutors face a tough road in their case against a former priest accused this week in the killing of a young Texas teacher and beauty queen nearly 56 years ago, according to legal experts.
John Bernard Feit, 83, remained in custody Friday in Phoenix following his indictment in South Texas’ Hidalgo County for the murder of 25-year-old Irene Garza.
Feit had been considered a suspect in the past, and two fellow priests told authorities he confessed to them. But like many cold cases, this one will pose special difficulties stemming from decades-old evidence, a lack of DNA and the long delay in bringing charges.
“These are challenges that are not unsurmountable, but they are going to be looked at very carefully by the defense,” said Philip Hilder, a Houston criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor.
Authorities allege the then-27-year-old Feit killed Garza on April 16, 1960, after hearing her confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, where he was a priest.
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