Bishop David O’Connell murder case suspect Carlos Medina claims pastor owed him money
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: David O'Connell, a Catholic Bishop, was found shot to death in his Hacienda Heights home a few days ago. O'Connell, 69, was regarded as a "peacemaker" in his neighborhood, which was predominately Hispanic. On February 18, around 1 pm, he was found in his four-bedroom, three-bathroom home with a gunshot wound to his upper torso. As per new information Bishop owed money to the suspect at the murder scene.
In the shooting death of a well-known Southern California Bishop, the suspect, Carlos Medina, claimed the dead priest owed him money, but on Wednesday, investigators refuted the assertion. According to authorities, Medina, the husband of O'Connell's housekeeper, told detectives he confronted the Bishop about the money he thought was owed to him, as per reports. His death is reportedly being investigated as a homicide.
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However, Lt Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said on Wednesday that he didn't think that was the case. Modica said, "When he was interviewed, he spoke, he said several different reasons." He further added, "And none of them made any sense to the investigators. So we don't believe there's any validity to the owed money." as reported by NBC. Modica and Los Angeles County District Attorney Gascon departed the brief press conference without providing any additional information. On Wednesday afternoon, it wasn't immediately apparent if counsel represented Medina.
Charges against Carlos Medina
Medina, 61, has reportedly been charged with murder in the death of Bishop O'Connell, 69, and could receive a 35 years to life sentence in prison, according to Gascon, as reported by ABC7. At his home in Torrance on Monday, Medina was arrested. O'Connell was well-known among Catholics and authorities in Southern California for his work with the underprivileged, immigrants, and gang members.
About Bishop David O'Connell
O'Connell, born in Ireland in 1953, was appointed by Pope Francis as an auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2015. According to The Independent, he completed his studies for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin before being ordained in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979. Soon after, he worked in Los Angeles as a pastor and associate pastor in various parishes. According to reports, he served as the chairman of the Interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, which helped to organize the church's response to immigrant children and families from Central America.