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| Irene Garza, Murdered 57 Years Ago by Catholic Priest John Feit |
Finally, former Catholic priest John Feit is convicted for the 1960 murder of Irene Garza.
Think about Irene's mom and dad going to their graves without closure to the murder of their beautiful 26 year old daughter.
Irene's other relatives and friends lived those same 57 years with a terrible knot in their throats, the most agonizing of unfinished business, knowing that a gentle cousin, friend, niece had been slaughtered without retribution.
The wait is over. A Hidalgo County jury, after deliberating 6-1/2 hours, found the now 85 year old Feit guilty of murder.
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| Rene Guerra, former Hidalgo County District Attorney |
We detailed the coverup in our 2013 article:
"Irene Garza, a 25 year old former Miss South Texas and school teacher did not return from her weekly visit to the Sacred Heart Church in McAllen. The last person to see her alive, the 27 year old Reverend John B. Feit, chose to hear her confession in the rectory.
While Garza's car remained in the church parking lot, her body was found four days after Easter just three miles away in an irrigation canal with a slide viewer belonging to the young priest and a candelabra from the church nearby.
Police theorized at the time that the two heavy objects had been used in an attempt to keep Garza's body at the bottom with the cord of the slide viewer around her neck.
24 days before the Garza murder, Reverend Feit had been arrested, charged with the attempted rape of another young woman, Maria America Guerra, in an Edinburg church where Feit was "helping out."
24 days before the Garza murder, Reverend Feit had been arrested, charged with the attempted rape of another young woman, Maria America Guerra, in an Edinburg church where Feit was "helping out."
Ms. Guerra had noticed a man with horned rim glasses stalking her as she washed up in an outside bathroom at her home. Later, at the church, Feit, wearing horn rims, attacked her, only turning her loose when she bit his finger, drawing blood.
Feit eventually plead no lo contendre to aggravated assault, paying a $500 fine.
Several suspects to the murder submitted to lie detector tests including Feit. All, except Feit, passed. Of course such tests are not admissible evidence. Fifty years later, McAllen police, the Texas Rangers and other enforcement agencies believe Feit is the murderer.
So did Father Joseph O'Brien, the McAllen parish priest at the time of the murder. He admitted years later that he knew Feit murdered Irene Garza, but he was instructed to transfer Feit to the New Melleray Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa, where Feit attempted to attack a woman getting out of her car.
Feit was transferred again to the Our Lady of Assumption Abbey in Ava, Missouri. There a monk named Dale Tacheny, but known as "Father Emmanuel," was told to take charge of the former McAllen priest:
"The abbot called me in and said, 'There is a priest who murdered a woman in the guest house. He wants to become a monk. We are instructed to take him in.' "
When the Texas Rangers attempted to reopen the case in 2002, they ran into a stone wall in Hidalgo District Attorney Rene Guerra. Guerra discounted the testimony of Father Joseph O'Brien, who he described as "senile."
When the Texas Rangers attempted to reopen the case in 2002, they ran into a stone wall in Hidalgo District Attorney Rene Guerra. Guerra discounted the testimony of Father Joseph O'Brien, who he described as "senile."
Guerra also brassily declared that the statements made by former monk Dale Tacheny(Father Emmanuel) had been "fed" him by Texas Ranger Rudy Jaramillo.(George Sadler, San Antonio homicide detective states that Tacheny gave him the same information months before he told Jaramillo.)
District Attorney Rene Guerra finally gave in to pressure from the public and the family of Irene Garza to seek justice in the case, but he had a devilish, "fuck-you!" ace up his sleeve.
District Attorney Rene Guerra finally gave in to pressure from the public and the family of Irene Garza to seek justice in the case, but he had a devilish, "fuck-you!" ace up his sleeve.
A grand jury was called in 2004 and convened for 15 days. Waiting to testify were Father Joseph O'Brien, former monk Dale Tacheny, Texas Ranger Rudy Jaramillo and others.
But, the only witness called by the reluctant District Attorney was a lady who testified for the defense in Feit's earlier trial years ago."
We have no idea why former Hidalgo County District Attorney Rene Guerra fought so hard against bringing the former Catholic priest to justice, even manipulating the grand jury. Was he protecting the Church?
This is called concealment and cover-up by political wana -bees who profit from high power institutions like the Catholic institutions. The question should be how much money did former DA Rene Guerra make for covering up the murder? Well pigs can't fly Rene, but justice on the conviction of Feit's did come. Now we must look at all the cases that arrogant Rene failed to prosecute and investigate whether failure to prosecute was correct or was it to enrich Rene Guerra. Where you should go Rene, maybe you will for real see pigs fly.
ReplyDeleteGood example of why I am no longer Catholic. The structure of the church encourages men to pretend to be asexual, which is inherently unnatural. What sort of man is attracted to this lifestyle? Best case scenario, a gay given the opportunity to be a respected moral leader in society, excused from traditional expectations of getting married to a woman. Worst case, a psychopath given unlimited authority to hurt others without consequence, and a system of churches and monasteries and moving around and DA's like Guerra who will hide him.
ReplyDelete