Johnny Wactor Fatal Shooting: 2 Teenagers Charged With His Murder

Police are sharing insight into the individuals taken into custody in relation to Johnny Wactor’s murder.  

Nearly three months after the General Hospital actor was shot in downtown Los Angeles, Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, have been charged with murder, authorities confirmed to NBC News. 

The defendants were arrested Aug. 15, along with Leonel Gutierrez, 18, and Frank Olano, 22. Barceleau faces one charge of murder with a special circumstance allegation of killing during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón told NBC News in a statement. 

He is also charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, and use of a firearm. He could be sentenced to life in prison without parole if convicted, the district attorney’s office added. 

Estrada is also additionally charged with attempted robbery and grand theft while in possession of a firearm. With these charges, the DA’s office further noted, he could be facing life in prison.

E! News has reached out to reps for Barceleau and Estrada but has not yet heard back. 

Gutierrez, meanwhile, has been charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, with an allegation that he was in possession of a firearm, prosecutors said in their statement to NBC News. If convicted, he could face four years and eight months in prison. 

Olano is charged with being an accessory after the fact to a murder, receiving stolen property and three counts of being a felon with a firearm. He could face five years and eight months in prison if convicted, prosecutors told NBC.

“Johnny Wactor’s life was senselessly taken while he was simply walking to his parked car in downtown Los Angeles,” Gascón told NBC. “We are committed to seeking justice for Mr. Wactor and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”

Wactor, 37, was shot in the early hours of May 25 after he and colleague Anita Joy encountered three men attempting to steal his vehicle’s catalytic converter following a late night shift. 

“My friend of 8 years went from laughing together, working side by side, leaving our bartending shift and walking to our cars, to him dying in my arms in the streets of DTLA in the dark hours of 3am,” Joy wrote on Instagram shortly after Wactor’s death. “I am utterly heartbroken and so very angry. My only peace is that I was with him and this didn't happen to him alone—my only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice.”

Wactor had been acting in small roles for over 15 years, and in addition to his two-year stint on General Hospital, had appeared on Station 19 and The OA. His mother, Scarlett Wactor, previously noted her son’s onscreen legacy has given her comfort after his passing. 

“I think that when I see Johnny on the videos and the recordings,” she told NBC News in May. “I can only hope that he's doing that in heaven and enjoying it.”

(E! News and NBC News are both part of NBCUniversal.)

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