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Prosecutors charge man in killing of Los Angeles bishop

David O’Connell
Posted at 12:28 PM, Feb 22, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-22 15:32:44-05

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors charged a man Wednesday with killing a Catholic bishop in a crime that stunned Los Angeles religious and immigrant communities.

Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was fatally shot multiple times Saturday in the bedroom of his home in Hacienda Heights, an unincorporated community about 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles.

RELATED: Detectives treating Los Angeles bishop's death as homicide

The suspect, Carlos Medina, is the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper. Medina had done work at the bishop’s home and was arrested Monday by a SWAT team.

LA County District Attorney George Gascón announced that Medina is charged with one count of murder during a news conference Wednesday.

Medina faces 35 years to life in prison. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon. It was not known if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

RELATED: Suspect arrested in killing of Catholic bishop in Southern California

O’Connell had been a priest for 45 years and was a native of Ireland, according to Angelus News, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest. In 2015, Pope Francis named him one of several auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese.