
Prosecutors accuse a man of murdering the bishop of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors on Wednesday charged one man the assassination of a Catholic bishop in a crime that stunned Los Angeles’ religious and immigrant communities.
Auxiliary Bishop David O’ConnellThe 69-year-old was fatally shot multiple times Saturday in the bedroom of his home in Hacienda Heights, an unincorporated community about 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles.
The suspect, Carlos Medina, is the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper. Medina worked in the bishop’s house and was arrested on Monday by special forces.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said Wednesday that Medina is charged with one count of murder, with a specific allegation that he personally used the firearm.
“Charging Mr. Medina will never undo the tremendous damage caused by this callous act, but it brings us one step closer to accountability,” Gascon said.
Medina faces 35 years to life in prison. He is due in court on Wednesday afternoon. It is not known if he has an attorney who can represent him.
According to Angelus News, the news agency of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest in the country, O’Connell was a priest for 45 years and was a native of Ireland. In 2015, Pope Francis named him one of several auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese.
Lt. Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, who is leading the homicide investigation, said Medina told detectives several reasons for the violence, “and none of them made sense to investigators,” so a motive remains unclear.
Previous reports that Medina said O’Connell owed him money appear to be false, Modico said.
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