A man accused of gunning down Los Angeles Catholic Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell at his home in Hacienda Heights pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a murder charge.
Superior Court Judge Armenui Amy Ashvanian ordered Carlos Medina, 61, to remain jailed in lieu of just over $2 million bail pending his next appearance May 17 at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse.
Medina is charged with the Feb. 18 killing of the 69-year-old man known as “Bishop Dave,” along with an allegation that he personally used a firearm. He could face up to 35 years to life in prison if convicted as charged, according to District Attorney George Gascón.
O’Connell was found shot just before 1 p.m. Feb. 18 at his home in the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue, near Turnbull Canyon Road. Sheriff’s officials confirmed the following day that his death was being investigated as a homicide.
Sheriff Robert Luna said there were no signs of forced entry into O’Connell’s home, and the bishop was shot in the bedroom of his home. Gascón said O’Connell had multiple gunshot wounds.
The bishop’s body was discovered when a deacon went to the home to check on him because O’Connell was apparently late for a meeting, Luna said.
Medina is the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper, and he also performed handyman work at the bishop’s home, according to the sheriff.
The sheriff said tips from the public helped lead investigators to Medina, with one tipster saying that “Medina was acting strange, irrational and made comments about the bishop owing him money.”
But Luna stopped short of saying such a dispute led to the killing, saying it was “something that came up from one of the witnesses.”
Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Modica said last month that Medina made various statements after his arrest about a possible motive, but investigators found them to be largely nonsensical, leading them to believe there’s no validity to the suggestion that a financial debt led to the…
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