[October 23, 2009] In Denton County court, family tears into 'pathological liar' in murder case Tweet DENTON, Oct 23, 2009 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Raul Garza slapped his notes on the witness stand Thursday morning in a Denton County courtroom and glared at Leroy Tellgren, the frail, 75-year-old defendant who had just pleaded guilty to a murder charge in the death of Garza's wife, Kathleen, last April. "I know he does not look like he is capable of murder," Raul Garza told the packed courtroom, "but he surely is. "He is a monster." Rick Jackson, the lead prosecutor, was equally harsh. Tellgren is "the most accomplished and pathological liar" he has encountered in a career of nearly 20 years, Jackson said. Tellgren -- hands cuffed, ankles shackled and dressed in rust-colored jail clothes -- was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison by state District Judge L. Dee Shipman. The penalty resulted from a plea agreement that the Denton County district attorney's office offered if Tellgren would tell police where to find Garza's body, Jackson said. Thursday's proceedings were swift. When Shipman asked Tellgren whether his guilty plea was made "freely and voluntarily," the defendant responded "yes" in a shrill voice. The rest of the hearing was given to statements from Kathleen Garza's relatives. "The fact that you whine when you open your mouth is laughable," Raul Garza told Tellgren, who stared down at the defendant's table. "What kind of man are you? "You're not a man, but a shell of human being not worthy of love because you are incapable of showing that to others. "You let evil rip out your spine and your guts." The plea deal Kathleen Garza, 49, of Coppell disappeared the morning of April 16. A security video at a Coppell store showed her buying coffee with Tellgren, a friend and former co-worker. The video showed them walking to his pickup in the parking lot. Soon after, officers questioned Tellgren at his home and found her jewelry in his pocket and blood on seat fragments from his pickup. He was arrested immediately. "He professed very indignantly that he knew nothing, or how this happened," Jackson said after Thursday's hearing. "But we were ready to try this case the day he was arrested." The trial was set for Nov. 2, and prosecutors were confident the evidence linked Tellgren to Garza's death, even though her body hadn't been found, Jackson said. The defendant must have felt the same way because he directed his lawyer during the first week of October to ask whether a plea bargain was still possible, Jackson said. Shortly after his arrest in April, prosecutors had offered Tellgren 20 years in prison for a guilty plea because the Garza family "deeply wanted to have Kathy back," Jackson said. Tellgren resisted until early October when he asked whether prosecutors would consider a 15-year sentence. Jackson said the Garza family was consulted "and all agreed 15 years would be a life sentence for him." But Tellgren lied again, Jackson said, by telling officers to look for Kathleen at a site off Interstate 45, southeast of Dallas. Frustrated, the officers insisted he give the real location, and this time he told the truth, Jackson said. Unclear motive Garza's remains were found Oct. 8 in a marshy area near Texas 121 and Fish Hatchery Road in Denton County. The Tarrant County medical examiner's office used dental records to confirm that the remains belonged to her. The former schoolteacher had been shot in the back of the head with a .32-caliber handgun that was recovered from Tellgren's home the night he was arrested, Jackson said. The motive for the killing, however, was unclear even Thursday, given Tellgren's elaborate lies, Jackson said. For example, he said, police traced Tellgren's movements on April 16 through his toll-tag records and "pings" sent by his phone to cellular towers, but that information didn't match where he claimed to be. "There is no telling what actually is going through his mind," Jackson said. "I sat in a room with him for four and a half hours, and it's hard to believe just about anything he says. "I guess he was truthful about two things: that he shot her, and the location of where she ultimately was found." Raul Garza said in earlier interviews that his wife was interested in business ventures that Tellgren claimed to be involved with. But investigators learned that the businesses were fake, and Tellgren presented them as a ruse so that he could spend time with her. Investigators learned that Tellgren had similarly pursued several other women, but some of them realized he was a liar and refused to see him again. The Garza family members told investigators that Kathleen was also becoming suspicious of Tellgren. Investigators believe she may have confronted him about his stories during the encounter on April 16, and he couldn't handle that, so he killed her, Jackson said. Tellgren will be eligible to be considered for parole in seven and a half years, said Jamie Beck, first assistant district attorney and spokeswoman for the D.A.'s office. But Garza's daughter, Alicia Pham, told Tellgren that if he is ever considered for release, the family members will be at the hearing, arguing vigorously against it. BILL MILLER, 817-390-7684 Looking for comments? To see more of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dfw.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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