It was just before the season of Lent in 2023 when a bishop in California was found slain and the search for a suspect began. That bishop was Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the suspect in the case was Carlos Medina, the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper.
The horrific murder occurred just four days before Ash Wednesday, which kicks off the season of Lent for Christians around the world. Medina killed Bishop O’Connell with a firearm, shooting him multiple times. By the time paramedics arrived on the scene, it was too late, and Bishop O’Connell was deceased.
The situation was shocking enough that even the soft-on-crime DA, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, jumped into action to deal with the murder and hunt down the suspect. In a statement released by his office, District Attorney Gascón said, “This was a brutal act of violence against a person who dedicated his life to making our neighborhoods safer, healthier and always serving with love and compassion.”
Continuing, he said, “As Catholics around Los Angeles and the nation start the holy season of Lent let us reflect on Bishop O’Connell’s life of service and dedication to those in greatest need of our care. Charging Mr. Medina will never repair the tremendous harm that was caused by this callous act, but it does take us one step closer to accountability.”
Then, during a press conference on the situation, during which a reporter asked if Medina used his wife’s means of accessing the property, such as a key or key code, District Attorney Gascón said that “it appears based on the evidence that there was not a forced entry.” Continuing, he added that Medina likely did have “special access” to O’Connell’s home, as “he had done some work in the house previously.”
Also during the press conference, Lt. Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Medina gave “several different reasons” for the murder but that “none of them made sense to the investigators.”
Among those reasons that Medina apparently gave investigators for the murder was that Bishop O’Connell owed him money, but Lt. Modica said that the department does not believe that to be the truth. He said, “[W]e don’t believe there’s any validity to the owing of money.”
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Speaking about Bishop O’Connell’s life and work during the press conference, District Attorney Gascón said, “He served multiple congregations, where he helped and personally impacted the lives of thousands of Angelinos. He was committed to those who were the most vulnerable in our community,” he stated. “He worked with the immigrant community; he worked with communities that were impacted by gang violence; he selflessly gave his life to this community.”
Watch the press conference here:
In March of 2023, Medina plead not guilty to the murder and firearm charges that the DA’s office brought against him. Unlike many other California criminal suspects, Medina was kept in jail. Superior Court Judge Armenui Amy Ashvanian ordered that Medina remain in jail in lieu of $2 million bail.