EDINBURG (TX)
San Antonio Express-News
December 9, 2017
By Aaron Nelsen
Jurors sentenced former priest John Feit to life in prison Friday for killing 25-year-old Irene Garza, bringing an end to a controversial case that languished for more than 50 years.
The sentence means Feit, now 85, likely will die behind bars.
Feit was convicted of murder with malice aforethought Thursday after a short trial that brought day after day of explosive testimony, including allegations that the then-district attorney struck a deal with the Catholic Church to stop investigating Feit to avoid a scandal that threatened to affect John F. Kennedy’s race for president. Kennedy became the first Catholic elected president later that year.
Garza was last seen going to confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen. Feit first denied, then admitted, that he had heard Garza’s confession on April 16, 1960, in the church rectory.
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