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John Feit, 83,
was arrested last month in Arizona in connection with the 1960
slaying of Irene Garza, 25, in McAllen, Texas. He was
transferred to Hidalgo County, Texas, the Texas sheriff's office
said.
The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office said he was booked into jail
on a murder charge.
Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez said on
Wednesday authorities discovered new facts and evidence while
reviewing the cold case but declined to provide details. There
is no statute of limitations on murder cases in Texas.
"We are one step closer in seeking justice," he told a news
conference in Texas.
Feit initially vowed to fight extradition but waived his right
at a Feb. 24 hearing, according to court records.
Garza, a former Miss South Texas and second-grade school
teacher, was last seen giving confession during Holy Week at
Sacred Heart Catholic Church on April 16, 1960, according to the
Texas Rangers cold case website.
Her body was found five days later in a nearby canal. An autopsy
showed that Garza had been raped while comatose and died of
suffocation.
Feit later left the priesthood and moved to Arizona, where he
started a family.
He was long considered by authorities to be a suspect in the
case but was not indicted. Feit denied any involvement in
Garza’s death during a 2013 interview with CNN.
“We’ve always believed that there was probable cause for John
Feit to face charges in the death of Irene Garza,” said McAllen
Police Chief Victor Rodriguez.
(Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza; Editing by Ben Klayman and Tom
Brown)
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