July 09, 2010
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News: Credit Card Thief Connected to Murder Victim
Police arrested a Corpus Christi man for credit card theft after he tried to use the stolen card five times at a local store. Carlos Garza, Jr. tried using the stolen card on Sunday morning and police discovered the 90 year old victim's murdered body Monday evening. The credit card and murder victim, Tommie Koehn was last seen alive on Saturday. Garza tried to use Koehn's Discover credit card without success at the Schanen Boulevard local store. The store manager later identified Garza as the individual who attempted to use the stolen card at the automatic teller machine (ATM) on Sunday.
The murder investigation which led to the credit card theft revealed that Garza lived just around the corner from Koehn. Garza was one of several other individuals that Koehn hired to do yard work and other odd jobs. Several of Koehn's neighbors that were interviewed by Channel 6 News said they were shocked to learn that that Garza is suspected of beating the woman to death and then stealing her credit card. The murder has shocked up the neighborhood which is otherwise a quiet place o live. Some neighbors say that they have often seen Garza walking around the neighborhood. As a result of the murder, neighbors have been more cautious than usual.
Koehn was a regular at the Senior Community Services for over 25 years. She first came to the Center in the 80's as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. Despite her age, friends say she was very active and independent. She had never been married nor did she have any children and spent a great deal of her time at the Center socializing. Several of the Center regulars have been so distraught over Koehn's death that they have avoided the Center all together. The Senior Community Center will be sponsoring a special safety training seminar for the seniors. Meanwhile, Carlos Garza has been arrested for credit card abuse. No murder charges have been filed. An investigation is ongoing.