The Californian handyman accused of murdering Cork-born auxiliary bishop David O’Connell last year has re-appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom.
Carlos Medina Vallejo (62), charged under the surname Medina, denies that he shot the bishop as he slept in his home in east Los Angeles in February 2023.
Mr Medina, a frail figure dressed in an orange jumpsuit with ankles shackled, appeared briefly at a downtown LA courtroom to hear that he will be held on bail in local prison until his next appearance – scheduled for March 23rd 2024. The start of the trial could still be months away.
The defendant who carried out household repairs for the bishop over several years has been charged with one felony charge of first-degree murder. He faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty. He denies all charges and is held on $2 million bail.
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Any motive for the alleged murder remains subject to speculation, although there have been reports there was wrangling over work payments.
The 69-year-old bishop studied at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained as an associate pastor in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979 by Archbishop Timothy Manning, a future cardinal who was born in Ballingeary in Co Cork – some 80km west of Brooklodge, where Bishop O’Connell was from.
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