EDINBURG — The judge presiding over the case of a former priest accused of murdering a McAllen beauty queen said Wednesday he will wait until next week before deciding on a change of venue petition by the defense.
EDINBURG — The judge presiding over the case of a former priest accused of murdering a McAllen beauty queen said Wednesday he will wait until next week before deciding on a change of venue petition by the defense.
United States District Judge Luis Singleterry heard arguments from both the defense and prosecution regarding the media attention surrounding the Irene Garza case.
The defense for John Feit said the case was too important to the community and had even swayed the last Hidalgo County district attorney election. The emotion surrounding the case makes it difficult for jurors to be impartial, the defense argued.
Feit is accused of killing Irene Garza, a McAllen schoolteacher and beauty queen in 1960 when he worked as a priest in the Rio Grande Valley.
The 25-year-old woman was last seen April 16, 1960, going to confession at the Sacred Heart church in McAllen; authorities found her lifeless body five days later in a canal.
The defense presented an expert witness who conducted a newspaper-content analysis that indicated that out of 100 jurors 53 would believe Feit was guilty based on his findings.
The prosecution argued that numbers can be manipulated and attempted to discredit the defense witness, questioning everything from sampling size to the wording of the survey questions.
Singleterry could make a ruling next week or could decided to hold off until jury selection this summer. If there is no change of venue, a trial date is set for Sept. 11.
A pretrial date has been set for July 17.
