A much loved Los Angeles bishop’s murder has led to his housekeeper’s husband being arrested.
Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell was found dead with a gunshot wound to his upper torso in the bed of his home on Saturday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities confirmed the arrest of the housekeeper’s husband on Monday, following a multi-hour standoff.
Carlos Medina faces charges O’Connell’s slaying. Weapons were found at his home in Torrance and ballistic tests are pending.
In addition a surveillance video had captured a vehicle like the one Medina drives, in the driveway of O’Connell’s home at around the potential time of the murder.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna did not cite Medina’s motive.
However, he said a tipster had told authorities Medina was acting strangely after the killing and claimed that the bishop owed him money for doing occasional handyman work around his house.
Police say Medina’s wife had worked as a housekeeper for O’Connell.
Neighbours say she had cared for the bishop’s dog for roughly a decade. Her husband also sometimes walked the clergyman’s dog himself.
Asked if the police were speaking to her, Luna was emphatic.
“The detectives are absolutely interviewing her,” he said. “As far as we know at this time she’s been fully cooperative.”
Service with love
Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gómez lauded O’Connell for his friendship, his selflessness and his focus on the community he had loved and served for decades.
“He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honoured and protected,” Gomez said in a statement.
“He was the help of the helpless and the hope of the hopeless,” added Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who described O’Connell as a longtime friend.
“He knew that serving God meant serving man.
“He was also a good friend, and I will miss him greatly. I know we all will.”
Gomez described O’Connell as a man of “deep prayer” who cared for everyone during his 45 years with the Church.
Luna also praised O’Connell, saying: “He’s been a pillar in our community, known as a peacemaker, with a passion for serving those in need.”
A personal tribute from Kathryn Lopez in the National Review says:
“… I keep thinking: Bishop Dave may be the most Catholic person I have ever met.
“He was a minister and brother to the gang member, the community organiser, the Opus Dei priest, and the pro-life sidewalk counsellor. He embodied the love of Christ without getting consumed by the temptations of ideologies.
And he said his secret was no secret. He prayed. Specifically, he said that if you woke up in the morning and prayed, all the mysteries of the Rosary … your life would be changed.
For Catholics looking for a Lenten challenge … that’s one to consider.”
Source
- LA Times
- National Review
- Daily Mail