Suspects Charged With Murder in Death of ‘General Hospital’ Actor Johnny Wactor

District Attorney George Gascon announces murder charges against defendants arrested in connection with the death of actor Johnny Wactor, at the Los Angeles Hall of Justice on Aug. 19, 2024. Jill McLaughlin/The Epoch Times

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Aug. 19 he will seek murder charges against two men suspected of killing “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor, with one facing an additional special charge that could send him to prison without the possibility of parole.

Four suspects were arrested in the case Thursday and remain in custody. All four have lengthy criminal records dating to when they were juveniles.

The men, who were arraigned Monday, are also members of the notorious Los Angeles-based Florencia 13 Gang, according to police, but were not charged as gang members.

Robert Barceleau, 19, of Huntington Park, is suspected of shooting Wactor on May 25, Gascón said during a press conference at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles Monday.

“Barceleau is the one that fired,” Gascón said.

He is being held without bail and faces the most serious charges of murder and a special circumstance allegation for allegedly killing in the commission of a robbery, which could result in the life-without-parole sentence. Barceleau was also charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, both with a firearm.

Sergio Estrada, 18, was also charged with murder, attempted robbery and grand theft, also with a firearm.

Two other suspects arrested in the case were charged with lesser counts connected to the murder.

Leonel Gutierrez, 18, faces charges of attempted robbery and grand theft by embezzlement, both armed with a gun. Frank Olano, 22, of Inglewood, was charged on suspicion of being an accessory to the murder after the fact, one count of receiving stolen property, and three counts of being a felon with a firearm.

Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi said police continue to investigate the case and declined to give additional details about the suspects and their past criminal histories.

“While this was not an easy case for anyone involved, I am confident that we have the right people on the right charges,” Choi said Monday.

Gascón did not file gang enhancement charges against the suspects, which could have doubled the length, if convicted, of their possible sentences, but other charges could be added before a preliminary hearing, he said.

LAPD Chief Dominic Choi speaks at a news conference at the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles on Aug. 19, 2024. Jill McLaughlin/The Epoch Times

Family and friends of the actor were disappointed in the district attorney’s decision not to file the extra charges, but said they hope they will be added.

“These people here are evil,” Moses Castillo, a former law enforcement officer and a victim advocate for Wactor’s family, told The Epoch Times. “They’re gang members and they’re terrorizing our communities. And that’s what we’re disappointed in: that George Gascón and his office did not file gang enhancements. Because that would have sent a message to gang members, that if you commit a gang crime, you’ll do some serious time.”

Wactor, 37, known as “Brando Corbin” on “General Hospital,” was killed around 3:30 a.m. May 25 while walking with a coworker to his parked car near the corner of Hope Street and Pico Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles.

He had just finished a bartending shift at the nearby Moxy Hotel on South Figueroa Boulevard and was walking back with his coworker to his Prius, one of the most targeted cars for catalytic converter thefts, according to Carfax, a national vehicle data company.

Police say Wactor and his coworker were approached by a group trying to steal the catalytic converter from the car.

Police say one of the masked thieves shot Wactor without provocation as he approached his car, which was raised with a floor jack as the suspects were allegedly stealing the catalytic converter. The actor was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.

The suspects reportedly drove away from the scene. Police released surveillance photos of the suspects driving away in a stolen 2018 black, four-door Infiniti on Aug. 4.

Johnny Wactor attends the "Silent River" Opening Night Theatrical Premiere at Laemmle Glendale in Glendale, Calif., on Oct. 13, 2022. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Curious Potato

Wactor’s friends and supporters were at the Hall of Justice Monday as officials announced the charges.

His mother, Scarlett, who was at home in South Carolina Monday, wanted the district attorney’s office to hold the defendants accountable, Castillo said.

“She wanted the death penalty,” Castillo said. “She wanted life without parole.”

Wactor’s mother told Castillo she additionally wants the federal government to step in and perhaps file an indictment at the federal level if the district attorney’s office does not file the strongest possible charges.

“She is set on holding these individuals accountable to the fullest, because her son deserves it,” he said. “If we don’t take this action now, we’re going to continue to be victims.”

A Justice for Johnny Go Fund Me campaign has raised about $144,500 of its $200,000 goal to raise funds to support other victims and for victim advocacy.

According to a recent study by CAT Converter Express, a national catalytic converter theft restoration service for insurance companies, Los Angeles and Orange County are hotspots for catalytic converter thefts in the U.S., leading the nation in 2023.

The converters are made of three precious metals—platinum, palladium, ad rhodium—making them a valued item for thieves.