Current:Home > ScamsBenjamin Ashford|Police arrest 4 in killing of 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor -Capitatum
Benjamin Ashford|Police arrest 4 in killing of 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor
EchoSense View
Date:2025-04-06 16:53:02
Arrests have Benjamin Ashfordbeen made in the killing of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor, who died in a shooting in May.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday the arrests of four suspects in the case. Three are accused of murdering the 37-year-old, who died from a gunshot wound to the chest in downtown Los Angeles on May 25, and one man is accused of being an accessory to the crime.
The LAPD's Central Bureau Homicide carried out search warrants Thursday morning, which resulted in "four people being arrested and evidence recovered," the LAPD said in a news release.
The murder suspects in the case are Robert Barceleau, Leonel Gutierrez and Sergio Estrada. Frank Olano was booked on an arrest warrant for "accessory after the fact."
According to booking records reviewed by USA TODAY, Barceleau, Gutierrez and Olano's bail is set at $2 million. Records for Estrada were not available.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Wactor, who made his TV debut in 2007 on the Lifetime drama series "Army Wives," was best known for his role as Brando Corbin on "General Hospital."
Johnny Wactor shot, killed during suspected theft attempt
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."
'You shot the wrong guy':Johnny Wactor's ex posts emotional video
Wactor's mother, Scarlett, reflected on her son's death in a May 26 interview with Fox News.
"What I'd like for everybody to know is that they took a great human being," Scarlett said. "He lived life to the fullest, he chased his dreams (and was) a very optimistic, positive person."
She concluded: "I hope they catch (Wactor's killers), and I hope there’s justice for Johnny. That’s all I can hope and pray for. I will see him again."
Wactor's agent, David Shaul, previously remembered the actor as a "spectacular human being" in a statement shared with Variety.
"Our time with Johnny was a privilege we would wish on everyone," Shaul said. "He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After over a decade together, he will leave a hole in our hearts forever."
Contributing: Pamela Avila, USA TODAY
veryGood! (534)
Related
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Race, Poverty, Farming and a Natural Gas Pipeline Converge In a Rural Illinois Township
- A deal's a deal...unless it's a 'yo-yo' car sale
- Collin Gosselin Pens Message of Gratitude to Dad Jon Amid New Chapter
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- High-paying jobs that don't need a college degree? Thousands of them sit empty
- Kim Kardashian Makes Rare Comments on Paris Robbery Nearly 7 Years Later
- Adidas is looking to repurpose unsold Yeezy products. Here are some of its options
- 'Most Whopper
- More than 300,000 bottles of Starbucks bottled Frappuccinos have been recalled
Ranking
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Inside Clean Energy: The New Hummer Is Big and Bad and Runs on Electricity
- Stars of Oppenheimer walk out of premiere due to actors' strike
- A Chinese Chemical Company Captures and Reuses 6,000 Tons of a Super-Polluting Greenhouse Gas
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Super Bowl commercials, from Adam Driver(s) to M&M candies; the hits and the misses
- Inside Clean Energy: Google Ups the Ante With a 24/7 Carbon-Free Pledge. What Does That Mean?
- In a New Policy Statement, the Nation’s Physicists Toughen Their Stance on Climate Change, Stressing Its Reality and Urgency
Recommendation
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Don't Miss This $40 Deal on $91 Worth of MAC Cosmetics Eye Makeup
Wisconsin boy killed in sawmill accident will help save his mother's life with organ donation, family says
An energy crunch forces a Hungarian ballet company to move to a car factory
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
The maker of Enfamil recalls 145,000 cans of infant formula over bacteria risks
Are you caught in the millennial vs. boomer housing competition? Tell us about it
Kim Kardashian Makes Rare Comments on Paris Robbery Nearly 7 Years Later