Hundreds gather to honor murdered L.A. Auxillary Bishop David O’Connell
A little more than a year ago, mourners were shocked when Los Angeles Auxillary Bishop David O’Connell was found murdered in his Hacienda Heights home.
On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered for a memorial mass at the San Gabriel Mission Church. The Catholic Priest was beloved by the community as O’Connell served as the L.A. Archdioceses for 45 years.
Pope Francis named O’Connell as the Auxillary Bishop in L.A. in July of 2015. Brian Nunes was named as Auxillary Bishop following O’Connell’s death and has fond memories of his predecessor.
“He was a man of peace, he was down to earth, and just so willing to take time to listen to people,” Nunes said. “He was just very good about showing them that they were important, that he cared for them, that God loved them.”
Hundreds gathered for a memorial mass to honor Los Angeles Auxillary Bishop David O’Connell at the San Gabriel Mission Church on Feb. 24, 2024. (KTLA) Hundreds gathered for a memorial mass to honor Los Angeles Auxillary Bishop David O’Connell at the San Gabriel Mission Church on Feb. 24, 2024. (KTLA) Authorities are investigating after Bishop David O’Connell was found shot and killed in Hacienda Heights on Feb. 18, 2023. (Victor Alemán/Angelus News) Hundreds gathered for a memorial mass to honor Los Angeles Auxillary Bishop David O’Connell at the San Gabriel Mission Church on Feb. 24, 2024. (KTLA) Hundreds gathered for a memorial mass to honor Los Angeles Auxillary Bishop David O’Connell at the San Gabriel Mission Church on Feb. 24, 2024. (KTLA) Bishop David O’Connell was found shot to death on Feb. 18, 2023, inside his Hacienda Heights home. (Facebook) A picture with a prayer hangs on the mailbox as a makeshift memorial grows for Bishop David O’Connell, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in front of his home in Hacienda Heights, Calif., an unincorporated community about 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles. Bishop O’Connell was shot and killed Saturday inside his home. Carlos Medina, the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper was arrested Monday. (Keith Birmingham/The Orange County Register via AP) Hundreds gathered for a memorial mass to honor Los Angeles Auxillary Bishop David O’Connell at the San Gabriel Mission Church on Feb. 24, 2024. (KTLA) Bishop David O’Connell, auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, visits the damaged San Gabriel Mission church the afternoon of Saturday, July 11, 2020. He also prayed with grieving parishioners. (Victor Alemán/Angelus News) Authorities search the home of Carlos Medina, the man suspected of killing Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell. Feb. 20, 2023. Authorities search the home of Carlos Medina, the man suspected of killing Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell. Feb. 20, 2023. Authorities search the home of Carlos Medina, the man suspected of killing Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell. Feb. 20, 2023. Bishop David O’Connell (center) and Archbishop José H. Gomez greet people during the annual Our Lady of Guadalupe procession in Los Angeles in 2019. (Victor Alemán/Angelus News) Archbishop David O’Connell (Facebook) Bishop Dave O’Connell speaks at the Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress Aug. 13, 2022. (Victor Alemán/Angelus News) Janice Hahn, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, with Bishop David O’Connell. (Janice Hahn) Bishop David O’Connell, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, attends a news conference at the Fall General Assembly meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, on Nov. 17, 2021, in Baltimore. (Julio Cortez/Associated Press)
The 69-year-old was shot at his home in the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue on Feb. 18, 2023. Just two days later, a SWAT team arrested Carlos Medina, the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper, at their home in Torrance.
Detectives first linked Medina to the crime after finding surveillance video that showed his SUV in the driveway of O’Connell’s home at the time of the killing.
Several people who knew Medina told investigators that he had been acting strange and irrationally in the days following the murder, adding that Medina was making comments about O’Connell “owing him money.”
Medina pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
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