Man accused of murdering Cork-born bishop appears in LA court

A 61-year-old handyman accused of murdering a Cork-born bishop in Los Angeles appeared in the city’s central criminal court on Wednesday.

Carlos Medina, who has pleaded not guilty to shooting Bishop David O’Connell five times in his bed last February, was told he will next appear in court on July 11th when a judge may decide whether there is enough evidence to pursue a trial.

During the brief hearing the accused, who was limping heavily in an orange jump suit, said little through a translator but acknowledged the ruling by Judge Kerry White.

There did not appear to be any family members in the court room before Mr Medina was returned to the city’s Twin Towers Correctional Facility, which also houses disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

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A motive for the killing may not emerge until a full trail starts, perhaps later this year, but LA district Attorney George Gascon said Mr Medina told police officers that he shot his 69-year-old employer with a .38 calibre handgun.

It has emerged that Mr Medina, who was married to the bishop’s housekeeper and carried out the occasional gardening duties, had a history of drug convictions.

Los Angles Archbishop José H. Gómez said that the man known in the east LA community of Hacienda Heights as Bishop Dave was a renowned peacemaker.

“Out of his love for God, as an immigrant from Ireland, he served this city for more than forty years. Every day he worked to show compassion to the poor, to the homeless, to the immigrant, and to all those living on society’s margins. And I would say that among the many things that I admired in him was that he was fluent in Spanish with an Irish accent,” said the archbishop.

Dr O’Connell was born in Brooklodge, Glounthaune, Co Cork in July 1953, and studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin before being ordained to serve as an associate pastor in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979.

He returned to Ireland frequently, but made it clear that he felt he had more opportunities in the United States, where he was appointed auxiliary bishop in 2015.

He felt his “life mission” was working with the poor in the wealthiest region of the United States, where the pain of disadvantage can be most deeply felt.

Dr O’Connell built his reputation as a peacemaker after the 1992 riots following the acquittal of four police officers who savagely beat a motorist, Rodney King. After 63 deaths and 12,000 arrests O’Connell was instrumental in rebuilding some trust between officers and communities across South Los Angeles.

Over a long and colorful career, the bishop risked alienating high-placed colleagues by publicly criticising church policies. This included the diversion of Catholic funds into the completion of the 11-story Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in 2002 – and where Bishop O’Connell was himself interred.