Special: Sister Tadea Benz & Johnny Garret with Courtney from Book of the Dead

Special: Sister Tadea Benz & Johnny Garret with Courtney from Book of the Dead

From Our True Crime Podcast by Our True Crime Podcast

May 11, 2026 · 1h 53m

About this episode

The episode discusses the murder of Sister Tadea Benz and the execution of Johnny Frank Garret with guest Courtney from The Book of the Dead.

This month, we have a talk with Courtney from The Book of the Dead, who joins us to talk about the murder of Sister Tadea Benz and the execution of Johnny Frank Garret. In October 1981, the quiet city of Amarillo, Texas, was rocked by a crime that felt like a nightmare: the brutal assault and murder of 76-year-old Sister Tadea Benz inside St. Francis Convent. The pressure to catch the killer was on, and the police quickly set their sights on 17-year-old Johnny, who lived across the street. Johnny Frank Garrett was executed by the state of Texas in 1992, but was he a cold-blooded killer, or a convenient scapegoat? Don't forget to subscribe to Courtney's podcast, ⁠The Book of the Dead⁠. We think you will like her as much as Jen and Cam do. Sponsored by Quince Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to Quince.com/otcp for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Music by Nico Fyffe-Vettese Editing by Jesse Fyffe-Vettese Both from ⁠The Inky Pawprint⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: Courtney

Topics covered

  • murder
  • execution
  • true crime
  • justice
  • Texas
  • interview

Keywords

  • Sister Tadea Benz
  • Johnny Frank Garret
  • murder
  • execution
  • true crime
  • Amarillo
  • Texas

Sponsors

Quince

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Book of the Dead

Places: Amarillo, Texas

More episodes of Our True Crime Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Our True Crime Podcast podcast page.