By TERRI VERMEULEN KEITH
Two people allegedly tied to the downtown Los Angeles shooting death of former “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor were charged Monday with murder and other counts, with one of them facing a special circumstance allegation that could land him in prison without the chance of parole.
Two other suspects were hit with lesser counts.
The most serious case was filed against Robert Barceleau, 18, of Huntington Park, who was charged with murder, including a special circumstance allegation of killing in the commission of a robbery, which could lead to a life-without-parole prison term. He was also charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, both with allegations he was armed with a firearm.
Sergio Estrada, 18, was also charged with murder, but without the special circumstance allegation. He was also charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, both also allegedly while armed with a firearm.
Leonel Gutierrez, 18, was charged with attempted robbery and grand theft by embezzlement, both with allegations he was armed. The fourth suspect in the case, Frank Olano, 22, of Inglewood, was charged with being an accessory after the fact to the killing, along with receiving stolen property and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Wactor, 37, was shot about 3:30 a.m. May 25 while walking with a co-worker toward his parked car near Hope Street and Pico Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles after finishing his bartending shift at the nearby Level 8 bar/restaurant.
Police said the pair encountered a crew of people trying steal the catalytic converter from Wactor’s car, and that one of them shot Wactor as he approached.
The suspects had Wactor’s vehicle raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter, police said, adding that Wactor was shot by one of the individuals without provocation.
The four suspects were arrested in a series of raids carried out by Los Angeles police last Thursday. All four were expected to be arraigned Monday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles.
Micah Parker hugs Scarlett Wactor, of South Carolina on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at a news conference at Los Angeles City Hall where she urged anyone with information to come forward about the killing of her son, actor Johnny Wactor, who was shot to death when he encountered people trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car in downtown Los Angeles on May 25. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
On Monday morning, prior to the charges being announced, Wactor’s friends and family called on Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón to pursue the maximum charges and sentencing allegations against the suspects.
In a statement read on the family’s behalf outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse, the actor’s mother said they are anxiously awaiting the “strongest” charges and all available sentencing enhancements or “for them (the suspects) to be tried in federal court.”
“This is far from over,” Scarlett Wactor said in the statement. “We are asking for all to continue to pray for the harshest penalties” for her son’s killing.
Jail records show Barceleau, Estrada and Gutierrez were being held in lieu of $2 million bail each, while Olano remained behind bars in lieu of $1 million bail.
Gascón is slated to discuss the criminal charges at a 3 p.m. news conference that is expected to include Interim Los Angeles Police Department Chief Dominic Choi.
Scarlett Wactor speaks during a news conference on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at Los Angeles City Hall urging anyone with information to come forward about the killing of his friend, actor Johnny Wactor Wactor, who was shot and killed when he encountered people trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car in downtown Los Angeles on May 25. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
With a poster containing a large photo of Wactor and the slogan #Justice for Johnny in the background, actor Micah Parker called on Gascón’s office Monday morning to file gun and gang enhancements for “all three suspects present in Johnny’s murder,” along with a special circumstance allegation that could result in a life prison sentence without the possibility of parole.
“Johnny’s birthday is next Saturday, August 31. As Scarlett said last Tuesday at the press conference, she’ll never get to tell him ‘Happy Birthday’ ever again. She won’t get to call him and ask him if he’s coming home for Christmas. She won’t get to call him just to say, ‘I love you. How are you doing?’ That was taken away from her, from her family and from all of us. Someone needs to pay for that and they need to pay dearly,” said Parker, a friend of Wactor and an organizer of the #JusticeForJohnny group. “Johnny does not have the opportunity to breathe air on this earth ever again so I don’t think it’s right that these suspects, whoever killed Johnny ever get to breathe air as free men ever again.”
Johnny Wactor in “General Hospital.” (SCOTT KIRKLAND/ABC via AP)
The charges filed only included a special circumstance allegation against Barceleau. None of the charges include gang allegations.
Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon was also among those Monday morning calling for “maximum penalties” in the case.
“Johnny Wactor was murdered. His life was taken away for a piece of metal, a piece of metal at the end of the day that they didn’t even take away,” the city councilman told reporters. “My heart, and I think the heart of Los Angeles, goes out to the family of Johnny Wactor. He came all the way from South Carolina to make a name for himself and his life ended in great tragedy. That’s not who we are as a great city, (the) city of Los Angeles.”
He lauded Los Angeles police homicide detectives for working “24/7 to find the killers” and for leaving “no stone unturned” in their investigation into Wactor’s death.
Los Angeles police are distributing this flyer in their investigation of the May 25, 2024 death of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor when he confronted the suspects attempting to steal his vehicle’s catalytic converter in downtown Los Angeles. (Image courtesy of LAPD)
Former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman — who is running against Gascón in the race for district attorney — called what happened a “tragic tale in George Gascón’s Los Angeles where criminals are emboldened to steal catalytic converters,” and said he hoped that Gascón “does the right thing” by bringing the maximum charges and allegations in the case.
The Los Angeles Times, citing an affidavit in support of a search warrant, reported that police targeted Barceleau, Estrada and Gutierrez because their fingerprints were found on a floor jack they allegedly used while trying to steal Wactor’s catalytic converter. Olano’s role in the case remained unclear.
Television news footage showed officers serving a warrant last Thursday morning in the area of 62nd Street and Wilton Place in South Los Angeles. The Times reported that the probe was targeting a specific street gang tied to catalytic converter thefts.
One neighbor told KTLA5 the people at the home targeted by police Thursday have long been problematic for the neighborhood, even stealing catalytic converters from vehicles parked on that street.
Following news of the arrests Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement saying, “I want to thank LAPD for their partnership and hard work on this case and for their continued efforts to keep Angelenos safe and to bring justice to victims of violence. Now, we must ensure that those who are responsible for this brazen and heinous act are held fully accountable.”
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The LAPD had previously released surveillance photos of the suspects believed to have killed Wactor, along with images of an allegedly stolen vehicle the suspects were believed to have escaped in.
Police said the suspects drove away from the scene in a stolen 2018 black, four-door Infiniti Q50 with tan-colored interior. The suspects, all wearing dark clothing, allegedly drove away northbound on Hope Street. One of the suspects had a tattoo above the left eye and on the right cheek, police said.
Catalytic converters are popular targets for thieves because they are rich in precious metals that can be resold.
Wactor appeared on nearly 200 episodes of “General Hospital” from 2020-22. His other credits included “Westworld,” “The OA,” “NCIS,” “Station 19,” “Criminal Minds” and “Hollywood Girl.”
