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Los Angeles handyman accused of murdering Irish bishop David O’Connell faces court in August

Despite initial confession, Carlos Medina (65) has pleaded not guilty

Bishop David O'Connell was known as a peacemaker in Los Angeles and could speak fluent Spanish 'with an Irish accent'. His funeral took place in LA on March 3rd. Photograph: Jay L. Clendenin-Pool/Getty Images

John Harlow
Fri Jul 14 2023 - 05:00

A Los Angeles handyman accused of murdering Cork-born Bishop David O’Connell will appear at a preliminary court hearing on August 10th where evidence gathered against him will be assessed by a judge for the first time.

The judge could dismiss the charges that Carlos Medina (65) shot the bishop in his bed last February, which would prompt LA county sheriffs to reopen investigations into other possible suspects.

Mr Medina is pleading not guilty, despite an alleged initial confession. Detectives have denied reports that there was a dispute over job payments to his wife, the auxiliary bishop’s housekeeper, but no other motive has yet been forthcoming.

Alternatively, the judge could order a murder trial which could start in the autumn. If convicted, he faces 35 years to life in prison. Meanwhile, Mr Medina will continue to be held at the notorious Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. His wife, the bishop’s housekeeper, is believed to have left the family home and be staying with friends.

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At the next month’s hearing the District Attorney will lay out the forensic evidence against Mr Medina.

They believe he shot the bishop multiple times with a .38 handgun as the popular bishop lay sleeping in the quiet eastern LA suburb of Hacienda Heights

Mr Medina was arrested on February 20th, two days after the murder, after a standoff with police at his own home 15 miles away.

Los Angeles has not named a replacement for Dr O’Connell, who friends say is still deeply missed in the community. Los Angles Archbishop José H. Gómez said that the man from Glanmire, known in the east LA community of Hacienda Heights as “Bishop Dave”, was a renowned peacemaker.

“Out of his love for God, as an immigrant from Ireland, he served this city for more than forty years. Every day he worked to show compassion to the poor, to the homeless, to the immigrant, and to all those living on society’s margins. And I would say that among the many things that I admired in him was that he was fluent in Spanish with an Irish accent,” said the Archbishop.

O’Connell was born in Brooklodge, Glounthaune, Co. Cork in July 1953, and studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin before being ordained to serve as an associate pastor in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979.

He returned to Ireland frequently, but made it clear that he felt he had more opportunities in the United States, where he was appointed auxiliary bishop in 2015.

He felt his “life mission” was working with the poor in the wealthiest region of the United States, where the pain of disadvantage can be most deeply felt.

Dr O’Connell built his reputation as a peacemaker after the 1992 riots following the acquittal of four police officers who savagely beat a motorist, Rodney King. After 63 deaths and 12,000 arrests the cleric was instrumental in rebuilding some trust between officers and communities across South Los Angeles.

Over a long and colourful career the progressive prelate often risked alienating high-placed colleagues by publicly criticising church policies. This included the diversion of Catholic funds from community causes into the completion of the 11-story Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in 2002 – where, days after his still-seemingly senseless murder, with 3,000 mourners in attendance, “Bishop Dave” was himself interred.

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