Man admits to killing California Catholic bishop, according to DA, and is charged with murder
A 61-year-old handyman who worked for the Catholic bishop found shot to death over the weekend in his Hacienda Heights home has confessed to the murder, the district attorney said Wednesday, Feb. 22, with the county's top prosecutor's office charging the suspect with the death.
If convicted as charged, Carlos Medina could face 35 years to life in prison.
“We have various pieces of evidence,” District Attorney George Gascón said in Spanish during a news conference in downtown Los Angeles in which he spoke in English and Spanish. “He admitted he committed the murder. We found the weapon we think was used for the murder.
“We have other evidence like cameras that indicate he was at the location where the murder happened,” said Gascón as captured on video by CBS.
“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,” Gascón said in English. “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.”
A possible motive has not
been revealed yet by the authorities, although Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has said Medina, who worked for the bishop in some capacity, contended the clergyman owed him money. The handyman's wife had worked for Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell as a housekeeper. She has cooperated with investigators, the sheriff said.
At the news conference, sheriff's Lt. Michael Modica said Medina made various statements after his arrest about a possible motive, but investigators found them to be largely nonsensical, leading them to believe there's no validity to the idea that the bishop owing the suspect money contributed to the killing. It is unclear if the bishop even owed the suspect anything.
Wednesday afternoon, Medina shuffled into the defendant's holding area inside a downtown L.A. courtroom where he made his first court appearance. Wearing a green sweater and yellow athletic shorts, Medina stood with his hands cuffed behind his back.
The diminutive Medina, with short, cropped black hair with shades of gray, could barely be seen from behind his attorney, just in front of the plastic barrier separating them. He softly answered the judge's questions, including saying “yes” when asked if he understood his rights.
His arraignment, when defendants officially declare whether they are guilty or not, was postponed until March 22. Such delays are common.
Bail was set at more than $2 million.
The body of the bishop, who was 69 years old, was discovered early Saturday afternoon in a bedroom in his home. He had multiple gunshot wounds in his upper body.
There was no sign of forced entry, officials said.
Sunday night, a tipster told authorities that Medina had been speaking oddly and claimed the bishop owed him money, the sheriff said. Further, a dark-colored compact SUV similar to the one driven by the housekeeper had been seen in surveillance video pulling into the driveway of O'Connell's home on Saturday.
Hours after the tipster talked with investigators, they went to Medina's home in unincorporated West Carson near Torrance. He wasn't there but showed up hours later. They tried to talk with him — he refused to come out until 8:15 a.m. Monday, when he was arrested.
The investigators found two firearms inside the home that were to be tested to determine whether either was used to kill O'Connell.
In 2005, Medina pleaded no contest to possessing methamphetamine and driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher, according to LA County court records. The judge sentenced him to 206 days in jail.