{"product_id":"the-last-confession-murder-family-ethnicity-and-justice-in-a-texas-border-town-9781965639023","title":"The Last Confession: Murder, Family, Ethnicity, and Justice in a Texas Border Town","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eA Texas Murder, a Priest and the 60-year Cold Case the Church Couldn't Bury\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1960, Irene Garza was murdered in McAllen, Texas. The prime suspect was a Catholic priest. What followed was not only a brutal crime, but a 60-year investigation marked by silence, institutional power, and a conviction that would become the oldest on record.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Last Confession\u003c\/em\u003e, Dr. Lynda de la Viña-cousin to Irene Garza-reveals the inside story of a Texas murder the Catholic Church helped conceal. Blending true crime, memoir, and investigative reporting, she traces the decades-long fight for accountability in the Rio Grande Valley. Dr. de la Viña draws on meticulous research and personal memory to expose how legal barriers, district attorney refusals, church governance, and political ties obstructed justice for over half a century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a family member who lived under the shadow of this crime and a retired professor trained to analyze systems of power, Dr. de la Viña brings both emotional truth and factual precision to this historic conviction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInside, you'll discover: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow a 1960 Texas murder became one of the longest-running cold cases in U.S. criminal history-and why it took 60 years to convict.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe documented inner workings of Catholic Church governance and how institutional silence protected a priest.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe role of grand juries, district attorneys, and investigative process failures that delayed justice.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe psychological manipulation and shifting confessions of Father John Feit.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow one South Texas family refused to let corruption erase their cousin's memory.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore than just a true crime book, \u003cem\u003eThe Last Confession\u003c\/em\u003e is a record of perseverance, faith tested by power, and justice finally restored.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Lynda de la Viña\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Leopard Dog Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/13\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.17lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.75d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781965639023","brand":"Leopard Dog Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48531968000137,"sku":"9781965639023","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_a6f81653-28b6-4328-abfa-3ec6533c2825.jpg?v=1791326979","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-last-confession-murder-family-ethnicity-and-justice-in-a-texas-border-town-9781965639023","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}