A year after the shooting death of Bishop David O’Connell, the motive behind the shooting of the popular priest remains a mystery, as the case grinds through the legal system.
Sheriff’s Department officials said homicide detectives continue to work with the Los Angeles County D.A.’s Office on the case as it moves through the courts. And the case remains under investigation, even as it moves close to a court date in March.
On Feb. 18, 2023, O’Connell, 69, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in the bedroom of his Hacienda Heights home. The shooting, just days after a mass shooting in Monterey Park, shook the Southern California Roman Catholic community, of which he was among its most esteemed leaders. O’Connell had been appointed as auxiliary for the San Gabriel Valley pastoral region by Pope Francis in 2015.
Early clues on the shooting revolved around the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper.
A tipster had told authorities that the suspect, Carlos Medina, 62, who had also previously worked for O’Connell in some capacity, had been behaving oddly and claimed the bishop owed him money, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said at the time.
Medina was arrested at his home near Torrance on Feb. 20 after a six-hour standoff with SWAT and L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies. In the days immediately following the arrest, District Attorney George Gascón said Medina admitted to the crime. But in March, Medina pleaded not guilty to one felony count of murder and a special allegation that he used a firearm in O’Connell’s death.
A D.A.’s office spokesperson said there are no updates to the charges and could not discuss motive because it was a pending case.
Medina remains in custody on $2 million bail, and awaits a court date in March, when a judge could set a date for a preliminary hearing to determine if there’s enough evidence to go to trial.
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