L.A. Bishop’s Murder: Husband of Housekeeper Suspected Over Money Dispute

Suspect in Killing of 'Peacemaker' L.A. Bishop Was Husband of His Housekeeper, Claimed Victim Owed Him Money

On Saturday afternoon, 69-year-old Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell was discovered shot to death at his Hacienda Heights residence.

A man has been detained in connection with the death of a respected Los Angeles Catholic bishop on Monday whose wife was his housekeeper.

At a news conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that Carlos Medina had been brought into custody following an hour-long confrontation with police at his house in Torrance.

Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was discovered shot to death in his house in Hacienda Heights on Saturday afternoon. He is accused of being the killer.

After receiving a tip that Medina, 65, was being “strange, crazy, and made statements about the Bishop owing him money,” Luna said officers turned their attention to Medina.

According to Luna, Medina had previously worked at O’Connell’s home and is the housekeeper for O’Connell.

Luna said that Medina used the same dark, little Vehicle that was captured on camera outside the O’Connells’ house around the time of the murder.

Suspect in Killing of 'Peacemaker' L.A. Bishop Was Husband of His Housekeeper, Claimed Victim Owed Him Money

At about 1 p.m. on Saturday, O’Connell was discovered dead in his bedroom with “at least one gunshot wound to the upper torso.”

According to Luna, there was no forced entrance into his residence and no handgun was found at the scene.

Detectives found “two weapons and other evidence possibly tying Medina to the crime” inside Medina’s residence, according to Luna.

If any of those weapons were involved in the murder, Luna said, “the firearms will need to be investigated and analyzed by our crime lab.”

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O’Connell was born in County Cork, Ireland, and was ordained in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1979, according to the diocesan news source Angelus News.

Suspect in Killing of 'Peacemaker' L.A. Bishop Was Husband of His Housekeeper, Claimed Victim Owed Him Money

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles stated in a statement,

“He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a desire for establishing a society where the sanctity and dignity of every human life were cherished and safeguarded.”

“He was a fantastic friend as well, and I shall miss him a lot. We will, I’m certain of it. Please join me in offering prayers for Bishop David and his Irish family. May the angels guide him to paradise, Our Lady of Guadalupe cover him in the mantle of her love, and may he rest in peace “Gomez added in a statement.

According to KTLA, O’Connell’s passing was mourned at a vigil on Sunday evening in Hacienda Heights.

Parag Nanda
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