February will mark three years since high-profile Los Angeles Bishop David O’Connell, 69, was gunned down in his own home — but despite an alleged confession and a suspect in custody since 2023, the case remains frozen in procedural limbo.
Carlos Medina, a 64-year-old handyman whose wife worked as O’Connell’s housekeeper, was arrested two days after the killing following citizen tips, according to the Union of Catholic Asian News. A law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times that Medina confessed to the murder. (RELATED: Video Shows Sydney Sweeney Climbing Hollywood Sign)
Yet Los Angeles Superior Court records show more than a dozen consecutive continuances on the question of Medina’s mental competency to stand trial. His case was suspended at a preliminary hearing in mid-October 2024 — more than 18 months after his arrest — over concerns he was mentally unfit to proceed. A deputy public defender said the determination followed interactions with Medina dating back to his arrest.
Since that hearing, 13 competency hearings have been held and continued on a near-monthly basis, with the next scheduled for Thursday. Under California Penal Code, continuances require “a showing of good cause” beyond the convenience of either party.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Mourners wait in line to attend the public viewing for Archdiocese of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell, part of three days of memorial services, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on March 2, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told the Daily Caller the case is pending a competency determination, after which prosecutors will decide on next steps.
Court notes show the hearings have been moved to the Superior Court’s Mental Health Division at the Hollywood Courthouse. The last four, beginning in September, reference a “Dr. Ward’s report” — a name matching a clinical and forensic psychologist listed on the L.A. Superior Court panel in January.
Under California Penal Code, once a competency doubt is declared, a court-appointed psychologist or psychiatrist must evaluate the defendant’s mental condition to determine how to proceed. According to the California Law Offices of David S. Chesley, such examinations are typically completed within 15 to 30 days. In Medina’s case, it has been 15 months.
If the evaluation is finalized by Thursday, one of two outcomes follows.
Los Angeles, UNITED STATES: The Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles where hotel heiress Paris Hilton is currently being held in custody for medical treatment, 08 June 2007. (Photo credit ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
If Medina is deemed competent to understand his charges, the case proceeds normally. If not, the trial remains suspended while the court pursues his restoration.
Medina is currently held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on $2,030,000 bail, detention records show. Should he be found incompetent, a community program director has 15 judicial days to recommend placement — whether a state hospital, jail-based treatment program, or community facility.
From there, Medina would be transferred for restoration, with the facility’s medical director required to file an initial report within 90 days of commitment and further reports at six-month intervals.
If two years pass without restoration, Medina would likely be placed under civil conservatorship as “gravely disabled” and a substantial danger given the murder charge. He could be held indefinitely, provided the state proves annually that he remains dangerous and incompetent.
Yet nearly three years into his detention, Medina has not even begun his two-year treatment window — delaying both his chance at recovery and any closure for O’Connell’s community.
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 03: The casket of Bishop David O’Connell, at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, in downtown on March 3, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jay L. Clendenin-Pool/Getty Images)
Beyond his pastoral work, O’Connell founded and chaired the SoCal Immigration Task Force. Both the Biden White House and Pope Francis released statements following his death.
Francis praised O’Connell’s “profound concern for the poor, immigrants, and those in need,” his defense of “the sanctity and dignity of God’s great gift of life,” and his efforts to foster “solidarity, cooperation, and peace” in his community.
The motive remains unclear. Lt. Michael Modica of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told the Times that Medina offered several explanations for the killing, but “none of them made sense to the investigators.”
Medina’s attorneys did not respond to the Caller’s request for comment.