By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-06 20:41:45 | Updated at 2025-01-08 03:05:25
1 day ago
The two suspects accused of killing General Hospital star Johnny Wactor in Downtown Los Angeles last year are expected to hear Monday if they will face trial.
Robert Isaiah Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, are set to stand before Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo on Monday to learn if there is enough evidence to move their case forward, FOX 11 reported.
Barceleau and Estrada are two of four people who were arrested and charged following the May 25, 2024 incident, during which Wactor was shot and killed.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said that Barceleau is the one who allegedly pulled the trigger.
Barceleau and Estrada are allegedly members of the Florencia 13 gang and were both hit with charges including murder, second-degree robbery and grand theft.
Last month, more allegations were filed against Barceleau and Estrada, claiming that they committed the crime to benefit a street gang.
As the alleged gunman, Barceleau faces a special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a robbery. He was also accused of personally and intentionally firing the weapon that shot and killed Wactor.
The other two men, Leonel Gutierrez, 18, and Frank Olano, 22, were charged with lesser crimes in connection to the beloved actor's 'senseless' death.
The two suspects accused of killing General Hospital star Johnny Wactor (pictured) in Downtown Los Angeles last year are expecting to hear if they will face trial
Los Angeles Police Department previously released two images of the suspects and their getaway car (pictured above) while appealing to the public for help identifying them
Barceleau, Gutierrez and Estrada were all booked on arrest warrants for murder, while Olano was arrested for allegedly being an accessory to the crime.
Wactor, 37, was killed when he approached thieves stealing his car's catalytic converter at around 3:25 am.
He had been leaving his side job at a 'cathedral style' nightclub called Sinners y Santos with his co-worker, Anita Joy.
Joy, who witnessed the horrific shooting, said Wactor asked the men to leave and held up his hands to show he was not a threat.
As they walked to their cars, they noticed three masked men near Wactor's vehicle, which was propped up on a jack.
The suspects opened fire when they saw Wactor and Joy. One bullet struck Wactor in the chest.
The actor was transported by paramedics to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Three months after he died, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) pointed to the gang members as the alleged culprits.
Anita Joy was with Johnny Wactor when he was killed
Gutierrez, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and grand theft in connection to the actor's death, but denied being the one who actually pulled the trigger in August.
His sentencing is scheduled for January 15. None of the other suspects have made a plea yet.
'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 in August 2024.
Wactor's relatives told DailyMail.com that the actor died trying to protect Joy from the bullets.
Johnny's younger brother Grant confirmed his death to DailyMail.com in May 2024 and said it didn't surprise him to hear his sibling was putting others first at the time.
Grant said that they were raised as 'southern gentleman', and his brother's last act was one of bravery.
He told DailyMail.com: 'We're Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself.
'He came across them and he thought his truck was being towed. So he said something to the guys, like, "Hey, are you towing?"
Pictured: Wactor on the set of General Hospital. He appeared on the show about 160 times from 2020 to 2020
'And then once he turned around, he saw what was happening and he put his coworker behind him. And that's when they shot him.'
Wactor was the oldest of three siblings. He was originally from Charleston, South Carolina.
In a series of Instagram posts recalling his final moments, Joy referred to Wactor as her friend of 'eight years' and described how he 'fought to stay alive' before dying in her arms.
'Everything happened in an instant,' Joy wrote. 'I've come to describe it as a glass of water that gets tipped over and you're scrambling to grab it and save it from spilling out completely but it just runs through your fingertips and is gone.
'Johnny was between me and the man who shot him - as I heard the shot ring into the night, he forcefully tumbled back into my arms and as I grabbed for him, I shouted, "Hunny, you ok?!"
'And he only responded, "Nope! Shot!" We toppled onto the street, where I pushed my legs under him and tried to hold his body up while screaming for help and screaming at him to stay with me.
'It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it. But my God, he fought to stay.'
Wactor appeared on over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022.
'It was too close range, too extreme of a wound for him to survive it. But my God, he fought to stay,' Joy said of the gunshot wound that killed Wactor (pictured)
Johnny Wactor (left) pictured with his family, who said they will remember him as a hero
The actor was also a series regular on the 2013 NBC drama series Siberia, which lasted 11 episodes.
He did multi-episode arcs on TV shows like The OA, The Passenger, Westworld and Hollywood Girl.
His first break into television came in a three-episode guest role on the Lifetime series Army Wives.
He had also branched out into producing; his IMDb page has three upcoming projects listed. Wactor also wrote a short film called Broken Riders.
Wactor's most recent work was in the horror anthology Dead Talk Tales: Volume I released early last year.
