Two teenage suspects are charged with murder in the slaying of Johnny Wactor, the “General Hospital” actor who authorities said was gunned down in May after he interrupted a catalytic converter theft, prosecutors announced Monday.
Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, were each charged with one count of murder, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascó n said in a statement.
Barceleau’s murder charge carries a special circumstance allegation of killing during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm. He is also charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, both while allegedly armed with a gun, prosecutors said.
If he is convicted, Barceleau could be sentenced to life in prison without parole, the DA’s office said.
Estrada is additionally charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, both also while allegedly armed with a gun. He could be sentenced to a maximum of life in prison if he is convicted.
Barceleau and Estrada, as well as Leonel Gutierrez, 18, and Frank Olano, 22, were arrested last week.
Gutierrez is charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, with an allegation that he was armed with a firearm during both alleged crimes, prosecutors said. Olano is charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder, receiving stolen property and three counts of being a felon with a firearm.
If he is convicted, Gutierrez faces four years and eight months in prison, while Olano faces five years and eight months, according to prosecutors.
It was not clear late Monday whether any of the four suspects had attorneys who could comment on their behalf.
“Johnny Wactor’s life was senselessly taken while he was simply walking to his parked car in downtown Los Angeles,” Gascón said in the statement. “We are committed to seeking justice for Mr. Wactor and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”
Wactor was a “talented young actor, who was in the prime of his life and had so much to offer the world,” Gascón said.
The suspects were scheduled to be arraigned Monday, prosecutors said. Before their arraignments, Barceleau was being held without bail, Estrada was being held on $2.07 million bail, Olano was being held on $1.08 million bail, and Gutierrez was held on $120,000 bail, the DA’s office said.
Wactor, 37, was shot and killed after he finished a bartending shift in downtown Los Angeles and found three men who had raised his car with a floor jack and were stealing its catalytic converter, police have said.
A friend and co-worker who was with him during the deadly encounter said that when they initially approached the car, it appeared as though it was possibly being towed.
“We were no threat and Jonny kept his cool as he always did, simply stating that it was his car and for them to leave. Hands open to his sides in peace,” the friend, Anita Joy, wrote on Instagram days after the killing.
Wactor, of Charleston, South Carolina, played Brando Corbin in 163 episodes of “General Hospital.”
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