Two 18-year-olds have been charged in the May shooting death of former “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor.
Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada were was arrested along with two co-accused on Thursday and charged Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, District Attorney George Gasón said at a news conference.
Leonel Gutierrez was charged with grand larceny and attempted robbery, and a fourth suspect, Frank Olano, was charged with being an accessory after the fact. The men were linked to the Florencia 13 gang, police said.
Wactor, 37, was leaving his late bartending shift in Los Angeles with a colleague on May 25 and saw three people steal his catalytic converter. He asked them what they were doing and held his palm up to show he meant no harm, according to police and family records.
But they turned and shot him in the chest. Wactor collapsed backwards into the arms of colleague Anita Joy, whom he was protecting.
Earlier this month, police released blurry photos of the suspects that showed them fleeing in a black four-door Infiniti Q50 and described the shooter as having facial tattoos above his left eye and right cheek. Last week they said the arrests were imminent.
Special circumstances are involved in Barceleau’s charges, including murder during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm, which could send him to life in prison without parole. Estrada could face life in prison. Barceleau was held without bail and Estrada’s bond was set at $1 million.
Wactor was known and loved for playing Brando Corbin in “General Hospital”. His family and friends mourned the loss of a “wonderful person.“
“The loss of this talented young actor, who was in the prime of his life and had so much to offer the world, is deeply felt by all of us,” Gascón said.
The murder sparked calls for justice and a crackdown on crime in Los Angeles.
With News Wire Services