Bomb City (LRT)-Episode 121

This week's episode marks the first installment in a three-part series of our local true crime series titled "Amarillo in Peril: Part." We are committed to bringing you all more intriguing local true crime stories in the future, so stay tuned!. In this particular episode, our focus is on Johnny Frank Garrett, who was accused of the murder of a Catholic nun residing just across the street from him.The tragic event unfolded on the morning of October 31, 1981, when Garrett was merely 17 years old, coincidentally the age of criminal responsibility in Texas. According to the prosecution's narrative, on that fateful morning, Garrett allegedly committed the act of murder against 76-year-old Sister Tadea Benz within the confines of St. Francis Convent. Shortly thereafter, on November 9, 1981, Garrett, a neighbor of the convent, was apprehended and formally charged with murder.This episode also examines the interconnected case of Jay Kelly Pinkerton, which has intriguing ties to the Johnny Frank Garrett case. Both of these incidents occurred during the Halloween seasons of 1979 and 1981, with the nun's tragic murder taking place on Halloween night in 1981. The profound impact of these cases cast a lingering shadow over the Amarillo Police Department and significantly influenced the way homicide detectives approached their work in the years that followed. Notably, the establishment of the Special Crimes Unit can be traced, in part, to the profound effect these horrific murders had on the community.