Current:Home > InvestMan pleads guilty to charges related to 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor's killing -CryptoBase
Man pleads guilty to charges related to 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor's killing
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Date:2025-04-18 06:33:06
One of the four people charged in connection to the death of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor has entered a guilty plea in the case.
Leonel Gutierrez, 18, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and grand theft, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday. Gutierrez, who is free on $120,000 bond, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 1.
According to the Los Angeles Times and CBS News, Gutierrez faces up to four years and eight months in prison with his current charges.
Wactor, who was best known for his role as Brando Corbin on "General Hospital," died from a gunshot wound to the chest in downtown Los Angeles on May 25. He was 37.
The cases against alleged conspirators Robert Barceleau, 18; Sergio Estrada, 18 and Frank Olano, 22, are pending. They have all pleaded not guilty to felony charges and are scheduled for a preliminary hearing setting on Oct. 16.
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The four men were arrested on Aug. 14. Barceleau – who allegedly shot Wactor in the chest, per investigators – and Estrada were each charged with one count of murder, one count of attempted robbery and one count of grand theft.
Olano was charged with one count of accessory after the fact to murder, one count of receiving stolen property and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
If convicted under the current charges, Barceleau faces life in prison without parole. Estrada faces a maximum of life in prison. Gutierrez faces four years, eight months in prison, and Olano faces five years, eight months in prison.
Johnny Wactor's mom: 'Grief is my constant companion'
Wactor was shot around 3 a.m. May 25 during an attempted catalytic converter theft in the 1200 block of Hope Street, per LAPD's May 28 news release. Officers "began to render aid" to Wactor, who was later transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"Based on witness statements, Wactor had ended his shift as a bartender at a local bar and walked to his vehicle. When Wactor arrived at his vehicle, he was confronted by three individuals who had Wactor's vehicle raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter," LAPD reported. "Without provocation, the victim was shot by one of the individuals."
During a news conference in downtown Los Angeles last month, Wactor's mother, Scarlett Wactor, said “Grief is my constant companion,” according to The Associated Press.
"I can’t wish him happy birthday on Aug. 31 — he would have been 38," she continued. "I can’t ask if he’s coming home for Christmas. I can’t ask how his day went.”
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