Suspect charged in Bishop murder case

A 61-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Bishop David O’Connell in Los Angeles this week.

Prosecutors charged Carlos Medina with the killing of the 69-year-old Cork-born Bishop in a crime that shocked communities across the world.

Police found Bishop O'Connell suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest in his home in Hacienda Heights, 20 miles east of central LA, at approximately 1pm local time on Saturday last.

A deacon had called emergency services when he visited the house after the Bishop failed to attend a meeting. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police opened a homicide investigation leading to Medina being arrested days later with bail set at $2.2m (€1.9m).

Carlos Medina was a familiar face to Bishop O’Connell. He was married to the Bishop's housekeeper. He also previously carried out works on his home. Medina's motives are still unknown.

Bishop O’Connell was born in Glanmire and was ordained a deacon back in 1977 becoming a priest 1979. After moving from multiple parishes, he took his final position in September 2015. During his time in Los Angeles, Bishop O’Connell was described as a “peacekeeper and a fighter for justice” by former Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, in a statement issued on Sunday.

Medina faces up to 35 years in prison.

LIVE-STREAM

To meet demand and interest in the conference, all of the conference lectures, keynote addresses and roundtable discussions will be live-streamed on the Kerry Civil War Conference website. Other events will not be available via live streaming.

"The objective of the conference is to set what occurred in Kerry in wider national and international contexts through the presentation of new research, archival testimonies and the accounts of combatants, as well as civilians, so that, a century later, the Irish Civil War can be considered and understood afresh. The level of interest in all of the events is very high and is indicative of a strong desire to engage with and discuss this traumatic period in our collective history,” Dr McAuliffe said.

Papers will be presented by Dr Richard McElligott, Dr Helene O’Keeffe, Dr Dáithí Ó Corráin, Helen O’Carroll, Owen O’Shea and Kieran McNulty. A roundtable discussion will be chaired by Dr David McCullagh and will feature an array of experienced historians and authors.

Tickets are available through Siamsa Tíre on 066 7123055. For more see: www.kerrycivilwarconference.ie.