Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell, 69, was found dead in his Hacienda Heights home on February 18, 2023, after a deacon discovered his body when he failed to attend a scheduled meeting. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and investigators opened an immediate homicide investigation.

Bishop OConnell, born in Glanmire, County Cork, Ireland, was ordained in 1979 and served the Los Angeles area for more than four decades. He was known for peacemaking during the 1992 Los Angeles riots and for advocacy on behalf of immigrants and social justice, and his death prompted widespread grief and memorials, including a funeral at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

On February 20, 2023, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, a handyman and husband of OConnell’s housekeeper, was arrested in Torrance in connection with the killing. Authorities later said Medina had confessed and charged him with one felony count of murder and a special allegation for use of a firearm. Questions about Medina’s mental competence to stand trial were raised by his defense at a pre-trial hearing; a decision on competency was pending with the next court date set for October 31, 2024.

Did anyone in the area know Bishop OConnell or have information that could help clarify the circumstances surrounding his death?