Alleged gunman claims slain bishop owed him money — sheriff doesn’t believe him

The man accused of fatally shooting a popular Southern California bishop said the slain priest owed him money, but investigators rejected that claim Wednesday.

Carlos Medina, 61, has been formally charged with murder in the death of Bishop David O’Connell, 69, and could face 35 years to life in prison, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said.

Medina, the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper, has told investigators he confronted the bishop over money that was allegedly owed to him, authorities have said.

But L.A. County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Modica said Wednesday that investigators don’t believe that to be the case.

“When he was interviewed he spoke, he said several different reasons (for wanting to kill O’Connell),” Modica told reporters.

“And none of them made any sense to the investigators. So we don’t believe there’s any validity to the owed money (claim).”

Modica and Gascón left the brief meeting with reporters without answering any other questions about a potential motive.

The bishop was found fatally shot multiple times in his suburban L.A. home of Hacienda Heights on Saturday.

There was no forced entry, leading investigators to believe Medina had access to a key, having worked at O’Connell’s home in the past, Gascón said.

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